Michelle Dockery's new action thriller Flight Risk has opened to underwhelming reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Flight Risk follows the story of a pilot (Mark Wahlberg) who is transporting an Air Marshal (Dockery) and a fugitive (Topher Grace) over the Alaskan wilderness.
However, tensions soon rise and trust is tested as when it becomes clear that everyone on board is who they appear to be.
The Mel Gibson-directed film, which arrived in cinemas today, has earned mostly negative reviews on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, where it currently sits at a score of just 24% from 33 reviews at the time of writing.
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Here's what some of the critics have been saying so far:
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Variety
"Director Mel Gibson delivers is a crude, unimaginative, suspenseless adventure whose tension mostly derives from deciding which of its three main characters will prove the most unlikable by the time it ends."
Vulture
"Flight Risk is a dumb movie, which is not its primary sin. The problem is that it’s not the right kind of dumb - the kind where everyone involved is committed to the innate silliness of what they’re doing."
Collider
"Some elements and moments are effective, but they're layered with subplot details, character performances, and related choices that don't work as well as intended, firmly grounding an otherwise promising concept."
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Slant Magazine
"Given that Mel Gibson makes little attempt to instill any sense of physicality to this dispiritingly paint-by-numbers affair, it becomes easy to understand the marketing of the film’s 4DX theatrical option as an act of overcompensation."
Daily Telegraph
"To describe the plot as stupid wouldn’t be inaccurate, exactly. But it’s methodically, even artisanally stupid, built in accordance with the classic thriller rules. Every twist plays fair, no matter how outlandish."
IndieWire
"When evaluated as a work of pure craftsmanship, Flight Risk is some of the finest stupidity Hollywood has gifted us in a long time."
Flight Risk is out now in cinemas.
Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
