Denzil Washington's performance is subtle and compelling as an airline pilot who performs a miracle crash-landing only to find his media driven ‘hero’ status clashing with his real-life issues. There are any number of moments in this movie where one is willing Whip Whitaker (Washington's character) to turn things around, but there's no simplicity here. Things are much more complex and nuanced than one might expect. Marvellous support comes from Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood – not all of whom portray characters with Whip's best interests at heart. The central event (the crash) is harrowing (and probably much more so on a big screen), but perhaps the core question of the movie is: do you know who you are-
