U.S. Marshall Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) has managed to track down accountant Winston (Topher Grace) who has been hiding out in the Alaskan wilderness after embezzling money from the Moretti crime family. She convinces him to testify against his employers, in exchange for protection and a reduced sentence. However, Winston still poses a flight risk, and so Madolyn handcuffs him as they board a small chartered plane for the quick 90-minute flight to Anchorage. But the two passengers soon realize that something isn’t quite right with their quirky and talkative pilot, Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg). It quickly becomes clear that someone doesn’t want Winston to make it to the trial. Tensions start to soar as Madolyn wonders who she can trust—including including her supervisor Van Sant (Leah Remini) and her director Coleridge (Paul Ben-Victor). If they’re going to make it back on the ground safely, Madolyn is going to need to take charge, and not allow a mistake from her past to eat away at her confidence.

Flight Risk was directed by Mel Gibson. The majority of the film takes place aboard this small, claustrophobic plane, with just these three characters on camera. Gibson does an excellent job of building the tension and transporting the viewer into this environment. Despite primarily taking place in a single location, the space is well-utilized to keep things interesting as various new twists and turns arise. Instead of shooting in front of a green screen, the production makes use of a volume, which gives the cameras almost 270 degrees of real-time backgrounds outside the windows of the plane, making it feel like these characters are actually in the air. The film also cuts away to exterior shots of the plane in the sky to help sell the effect. This is a film that knows exactly what it wants to be—it’s not concerned with some deep, Oscar-caliber emotional backstory and motivations for these characters, though we do get a brief touch of that for Madolyn. The film just wants to be a fun, popcorn action movie in a contained environment, and it definitely succeeds at this.

Michelle Dockery dons a solid American accent as this tough agent who has been given another chance in the field, and doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of her past. Thus, she is doing everything by the books, and doesn’t want to let Winston out of her sight. Winston provides a lot of comic relief, often making dryly sarcastic comments about Madolyn and their situation. Topher Grace has played this type of character a lot, and he’s really good at it. He had me laughing out loud quite a bit, and his character was often used to help break some of the tension during the film’s more action-packed sequences. While I know some people found Mark Wahlberg to be the highlight of this movie, I found his performance to be a little too campy and over-the-top at times (though certainly not Fear levels). He starts off with this ridiculous Texas accent, before later switching to that Bahston one we’re much more familiar with. Daryl is constantly spewing nonsense and other way out there statements just for shock value. While a lot of this is done for humor, other moments that are meant to be more menacing come off slightly campy. One of the highlights for me was actually the pilot Hassan (voice of Maaz Ali) who’s providing Madolyn with some assistance, and adds a bit of a rom-com element to the movie in the way he flirts with her to keep her mind off the danger she is facing.

That said, the film does have some really tense moments, great action-packed sequences, and surprising twists and turns that will keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. I quite enjoyed this movie in the theater, and just as much the second time around watching at home.

Lionsgate has released Flight Risk on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD, and has also given the film an Amazon-exclusive 4K SteelBook release with a really fun slipcover. We were sent the general 4K release for review, which looks and sounds excellent, with a crisp, clean picture throughout. The background from the plane windows looks quite natural, helping to sell that these characters are trapped in the air, flying through the mountains of Alaska. The level of detail looks solid throughout, and some of the beautiful, expansive exterior shots make a nice juxtaposition with the more claustrophobic setting inside the plane. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and also does a nice job of giving the viewer an immersive feeling of being in the plane—whether it’s dialogue coming though the headsets, the chaotic din of the more action-packed moments, or just the general hum of the plane.

The general 4K release includes both a 4K and Blu-ray disc, which are placed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, with a rounded corner slipcover. An insert provides redemption instructions for a 4K digital copy of the film, which can be redeemed via Fandango at Home (it is not Movies Anywhere compatible). The supplemental material, which can be found on both discs, is a little light, and just consists of a single 8-minute behind-the-scenes featurette and the film’s trailer.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:31:20)

4K UHD:

• HDR10
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 4/1/2026):

• 4K Digital Copy redeemable via Fandango at Home or iTunes (not Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
The same features can be found on both the 4K and the Blu-ray disc.

• Risk Management: Making Flight Risk (8:10)
  The cast and crew talk about how the story came about, the claustrophobic nature of the setting but also the spectacular vistas outside, keeping the story contained to put the audience into the mindset of the characters, shooting in the small plane set, using a volume wall to make it feel more realistic, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer/director Mel Gibson, screenwriter Jared Rosenberg, director of photography Johnny Derango, and stars Topher Grace (“Winston”), Michelle Dockery (“Madolyn”) & Mark Wahlberg (“Daryl”).
• Theatrical Trailer (1:19)

Final Thoughts:

Flight Risk is an entertaining closed-environment action thriller, with a solid cast. Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace play off one another well, while Mark Wahlberg brings a bit of camp and menace to the picture. The story has some unexpected twists and turns that will keep viewers interested as the tension of the situation rises. There is also quite a bit of humor thrown in to help lighten things up. This isn’t going to have some deep Oscar-level storyline, but will certainly fill the need for those looking for a fun popcorn flick. Lionsgate’s 4K release looks and sounds great, but is a bit skimpy on the bonus material. Definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of the cast or looking for a fun time.