Mel Gibson has made some epic films as a director, and is as accomplished as an actor-turned-director can be. Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge prove that point. It is therefore surprising that he has undertaken this small-scale character-driven suspense film as his most recent project. Even before seeing the film I had the feeling that it was material probably below his talents, and that feeling remains now that I have seen it. Which is kind of weird, actually, considering what Alfred Hitchcock did with stories like Lifeboat or Rope. Done right, virtually any story can become a classic.
Mel Gibson’s suspense drama puts cowardly but talkative federal witness Winston (Topher Grace) on a Alaskan plane to Anchorage in the custody of Air Marshal Madolyn (Michelle Dockery), piloted by Daryl (Mark Wahlberg). But the flight turns hairy as Daryl’s true intentions are revealed and the trio battles each other and the elements to survive. Complicating matters is that Madolyn no longer knows who she can trust on the ground.
It’s the simplest of story premises and its surprises are not surprising; it’s all there in the previews and the advertising. Therefore, the trick to making this movie dramatic or suspenseful or funny (it is all of these) is in the writing, acting and directing of this very predictable premise. Mostly, it works. Wahlberg chews the Alaskan scenery and is incredibly, formidably balding while doing so. Dockery is bright and tough and resilient and always believable. Grace pretty much steals the show with his constant mumbling, whining and asides. He provides most of the humor.
Where the story falls short is in its obviousness. Like most horror films, this suspense tale has conventions that must be followed. No matter how well Daryl is secured, he will break free. No matter how frightened or hurt Winston is, he will do something heroic. No matter how defeated Madolyn is, she will find a way to survive. That’s part of the fun, of course, but it’s also maddening. Madolyn should just shoot the villain and be done with it. Eventually she does, but even that does not stop him. It’s a wild ride, but it’s one that isn’t particularly memorable. ☆ ☆ 1/2. 30 May 2025.