Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 15 wins & 45 nominations total
Adam C. Edwards
- Father on Plane
- (as Adam Ciesielski)
Charlie E. Schmidt
- Tiki Pot
- (as Charlie E. Schmidt Jr.)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe accident in the film was inspired by a real-life disaster, the crash of Alaska Airlines 261 on January 31, 2000. Some dialogue in the film closely resembles the CVR transcript. Like in the film, the pilots of Alaska 261 rolled the airplane to an inverted position to try to stabilize the flight. Unlike the film, however, this did not assist them in recovering the aircraft. The root cause of the crash was found to be inadequate maintenance of the airplane's stabilizer "jackscrew," which caused its threads to wear down excessively and eventually jam the jackscrew. While the pilots were trying to reach Los Angeles for an emergency landing, the threads were ripped out and the stabilizer moved to a position that forced the plane into its fatal dive.
- GoofsThe NTSB investigation portrayed in the movie includes recovered data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder. US law requires Cockpit Voice Recorders to include at least 30 minutes of audio data from both pilots and Air Traffic Control radio transmissions. Since the plane crashed in less than 30 minutes, the audio from the CVR should have included Evans and Margaret's conversation about Whip sleeping on the job. This would have raised serious questions about Whip's behavior aside from his alcohol and drug usage. However, nothing about this is mentioned at any point during the NTSB hearing.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.22 (2012)
- SoundtracksAlcohol
Written by Stephen Duffy & Steven Page
Performed by Barenaked Ladies
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
Featured review
Can a man be both hero and criminal?
Trailers might lead you to believe this is a film about flying. Or about an amazing flying feat. But it is all about the lead character, Captain "Whip" Whitaker (Denzel Washington), a man who is a pilot and an alcoholic. The flying and a terrible crash provide background for the story of this man, who has struggled with his illness for years.
In many ways the story is not that original. We have seen numerous stories about alcoholics and heard real-life testimonies of the behaviors that accompany alcoholism, and this film tracks with all of them.
It is worth seeing for the brilliant portrayal of Captain Whitaker and the performances of the other actors in the film. Some parts are difficult to watch because the acting is so engaging.
I also think the film raises some interesting questions that some viewers may not be willing to acknowledge. If one is an alcoholic, is the entire worth of that man nothing more than what his sickness drags him down to? Are we what we do? Can we rise above our neuroses or our worst behaviors? Often we see public figures condemned in media for indiscretions or harmful acts; is that, then, the measure of the man or woman?
The film, even if judged solely for its dramatic content, is worth seeing.
In many ways the story is not that original. We have seen numerous stories about alcoholics and heard real-life testimonies of the behaviors that accompany alcoholism, and this film tracks with all of them.
It is worth seeing for the brilliant portrayal of Captain Whitaker and the performances of the other actors in the film. Some parts are difficult to watch because the acting is so engaging.
I also think the film raises some interesting questions that some viewers may not be willing to acknowledge. If one is an alcoholic, is the entire worth of that man nothing more than what his sickness drags him down to? Are we what we do? Can we rise above our neuroses or our worst behaviors? Often we see public figures condemned in media for indiscretions or harmful acts; is that, then, the measure of the man or woman?
The film, even if judged solely for its dramatic content, is worth seeing.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- El vuelo
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $31,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $93,772,375
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $24,900,566
- Nov 4, 2012
- Gross worldwide
- $161,772,375
- Runtime2 hours 18 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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