Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2013

A malfunctioning airliner is in a nosedive when the veteran pilot instinctively flips it upside down, allowing a controlled crash that saves 100 of the 106 lives on board. This is spectacular imagery and makes for a great trailer. But it is not what this complex film is about because, you see, that inspired pilot was drunk as a skunk and high on cocaine. What follows is the best depiction of alcoholism since 1963’s Days of Wine and Roses. Denzel Washington puts in an astounding performance in this devastating character study by Robert Zemeckis. Could have done without the tacked-on, redemptive coda.