Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.
Acting
Denzel's bathroom scene alone should have won him the Oscar.
Direction
Zemeckis shoots the crash with terrifying documentary precision.
Editing
The opening 20 minutes are a masterclass in sustained panic.
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Denzel Washington
Whip Whitaker
Don Cheadle
Hugh Lang
Kelly Reilly
Nicole
John Goodman
Harling Mays
Bruce Greenwood
Charlie Anderson
Brian Geraghty
Ken Evans
Tamara Tunie
Margaret Thomason
Nadine Velazquez
Katerina Marquez
Peter Gerety
Avington Carr
Garcelle Beauvais
Deana
Melissa Leo
Ellen Block
Adam C. Edwards
Father on Plane
Charlie E. Schmidt
Tiki Pot
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The upside-down plane sequence was achieved with a full 360-degree gimbal rig; Washington insisted on doing his own cockpit shots.
Zemeckis intentionally cast John Goodman as comic relief to make audiences uncomfortable with how much they enjoy Whip's benders before judging them.
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