“Flight Risk” looks like anything but … on paper.
Director Mel Gibson previously gave us “Apocalypto,” “Hacksaw Ridge” and “The Passion of the Christ.” That’s a rock-solid record in anyone’s estimation.
Star Mark Wahlberg is a Hollywood veteran who knows his way around an action thriller. He appears to play against type according to early reports.
That’s another intriguing angle. Plus, the trailer looks like catnip for genre fans.
Yet this critic can’t screen the film prior to its late Thursday release, which often (but not always) suggests a studio lacks faith in the product. Other critics, according to World of Reel, can’t share their takes on the film until the very last minute.
That kind of review embargo is another red flag. What gives? WOR suggests reviewers may treat the film differently due to the Gibson factor.
Critics are no doubt already sharpening their knives against Gibson’s film.
The superstar’s infamous fall from grace could have capsized his career, but he’s been able to build it back slowly over time.
Some still hold his outrageous actions against him. On a personal level, that’s understandable. He said some terrible, awful things. Variety wondered why Gibson still has a career in an incendiary 2020 op-ed.
It’s not outrageous to suggest film critics may still hold a grudge for that reason. And there’s something else in play, a more recent development that could turn select critics against Gibson’s film.
The superstar spoke out against former Vice President Kamala Harris near the end of the 2024 presidential campaign. He said the Democrat “had the IQ of a fence post.”
He also threw his support behind Donald Trump at the same time.
More recently, President Trump chose the actor/director to lead an informal group to bring back the “Golden Age” of Hollywood.
That Trump connection does Gibson few favors in far-Left Hollywood. The same holds true within the critics’ community.
Movie reviewers lean overwhelmingly to the Left, and it’s reflected in select reviews. Consider the chasm between professional critics and general audiences vis a vis last year’s “Reagan” biopic.
Movie goers will judge for themselves when “Flight Risk” opens wide this weekend. Sometimes a studio’s decision to hold reviews back makes sense.
The critical community will not be kind and rightfully so.
Yet some films have been hidden from critics and went on to perform well at the box office and/or deliver solid entertainment.
The mystery comes into focus once “Flight Risk” opens Thursday night.
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