"Flight Risk" is Mel Gibson's new film that has reached wide release. A cheap but feisty action movie about a flight over Alaska in the company of a bald and unfriendly Mark Wahlberg.

Federal Marshal Madolyn (Michelle Dockery) arrests a fugitive mafia accountant, Winston (Topher Grace), in Alaska. He agrees to cooperate, and now Madolyn must transport the key witness from a remote village to New York. The only way is a small single-engine plane, where a rude and chatty pilot (Mark Wahlberg) is also aboard. Once in the air, Madolyn quickly realizes the pilot is not who he claims to be, and the witness's life is in danger—right there in the sky.

About a decade ago, the names Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson on a poster would automatically guarantee a film good box office and, quite possibly, favorable press (though not certain). But times have changed. Gibson himself has changed, having gone through cancel culture. Having directed his last film back in 2016 and, apparently deciding he had to start somewhere, he shrugged and picked the first script that came along. Then he quickly assembled a team and even managed to persuade Mark Wahlberg to play the antagonist.

By the way, with Wahlberg, Gibson hit the mark. Wahlberg, with his balding scruffy look, steals all the attention and easily masks the flaws in the script and effects. And the most unexpected and striking element of the film is, oddly enough, his deliberately fake hairstyle. It alternately provokes laughter, irritation, or, combined with the actor's grin, some inexplicable unease. In short, Wahlberg's thug is genuine and alive. And if he exploits this image more often (just without the absurdly shaved head), the film world will gain another excellent villain.

As a rule, such films, hastily written and directed, automatically receive a corresponding category at the production stage and go straight to streaming. However, in the case of "Flight Risk," the situation worked both ways, and the film still got a wide release and even earned some modest money, despite a humiliating 29% on the "Tomatoes" from critics.

But regular viewers liked the film incomparably more and didn't sink it completely, primarily praising Wahlberg and Gibson's direction—who, mind you, directed "The Passion of the Christ" and "Braveheart". Perhaps it was a kind of advance to a master ready to return to big cinema, and later "Flight Risk" will be seen as a genre warm-up before a serious run.

Overall, "Flight Risk" is not without niche charm. Despite obvious plot absurdities and long-stale script twists, Gibson's work has a pulse, and it clearly fulfills its flight mission without deviating from course. He needs only a cramped space and low altitude to tell an engaging story about three losers who accidentally end up on the same plane, maintain a bit of intrigue, and juggle the viewer's feelings, alternately giving the initiative in the struggle to Wahlberg and Dockery's characters.

Automatically excluded from this equation, however, is actor Topher Grace, who is tied to his seat almost until the finale. All he can do is awkwardly joke and shout scripted lines. The humor, by the way, is the only part of the film that Gibson failed to mask. These scenes generally evoke nothing but a sardonic smile. The only exception is the character of the air traffic controller on the ground, trying to hit on Michelle while she learns to fly the plane. But it's clear to anyone that he was just trying to calm the marshal, who was at the controls for the first time. Still, it turned out funny.

"Flight Risk," despite production limitations and a small budget, appeals primarily through its theatricality and outrageousness (especially Wahlberg, whose resilience in the film breaks all conceivable records). This mix of absurdity and madness, reminiscent of the "Airplane!" duology, nevertheless forms a cohesive work that can break out of conventional dramatic templates and even provide some pleasure—though more nostalgic. Gibson understands this well, sincerely not demanding more. So, while watching his film, the best decision is to just relax.