'Flight' is a 2012 movie starring Denzel Washington who essays the role of Whip Whitaker, an extremely gifted airline pilot who is also a habitual user of illegal drugs and a confirmed alcoholic.  As is the case with most addicts, he is in complete denial about his addiction and even chooses to believe that he is in full control of his faculties, even when under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Captain Whitaker is put to a test which would have proved to be an unconquerable challenge for any captain, sober or otherwise, when a routine flight turns into a full-blown emergency when all hydraulics fail and the plane goes into an uncommanded dive. Whitaker, however, handles the situation brilliantly. He displays extremely quick reflexes and uses instinct and quick-thinking to save the lives of ninety six of the hundred and two souls on board, not to mention the lives of scores of people living in rows of houses which he successfully avoided crashing into. Was the man a hero? He most certainly was.  Did he fly exceptionally well, under pressure? Yes he did.  Should the fact that he was three times over the blood alcohol percentage to drive a car be ignored in the light of his incredible feat? Will the incident serve to reform him or will it destroy him? These are the questions that arise as soon as the drama in mid-air ends.

Washington does a brilliant job of portraying a man who is both supremely strong and supremely weak at the same time.  Whitaker's strength is his unquestionable talent while his weakness is his addiction. When asked to appear before an inquiry committee, he is in the quandary of his life: if he lies to save himself, he risks life-long guilt and if he doesn't, he risks life in prison.  The viewer is taken on a roller-coaster ride that is Whip's life, as he makes up his mind on what he has to do. Since I'm acquainted with the challenges of fighting an addiction, (I quit smoking four months ago), I was able to recognize and identify all phases of Whip's fight against his addiction and I must say that Washington has delivered an utterly convincing portrayal. Flight is indeed a movie which is well worth watching.