A pilot (Denzel Washington) wakes up after a long night of booze, drugs, and sex. He has a blast of cocaine to get his head in order. He is in the cockpit by 9 a.m. Once the jet is flying, he drinks some more, hands control to his copilot, and falls asleep. Then trouble explodes, and the plane begins to dive. The captain wakes up, remains supernaturally calm, exhausts idea after idea, and finally crash-lands in an open field, saving lives. He becomes a national hero. But he does not want to be a hero. And here the real story begins. People want to help him, but there is only one thing he can do: fly airplanes. Washington is at home in this character—a man who saves lives but is a complete asshole. Between the plane sequence, which Robert Zemeckis masterfully directs and edits, and Washington’s Oscar-worthy performance, Flight reveals itself as one of the best films of the year. (CHARLES MUDEDE)