In the fall of 2023, Taylor Sheridan’s hit series Yellowstone made its CBS debut, bringing in a whole new era of fans for the neo-Western franchise. Naturally, that means Kelly Reilly was introduced to a second wave of viewers as the inimitable and irreverent lone daughter and sister of the ranching family, Beth Dutton. The actress definitely has the ability to charm, but Reilly also commands the respect of everyone around her in a male-driven, horse-raising, cattle-driving environment. Savvy veterans of Reilly’s work know just how versatile and dynamic the actress is, and that has probably never been more evident than in her performance in the film Flight. As we gear up for what is sure to be another can’t-miss performance by Reilly in Little Wing, it’s high time to revisit her underrated performance in this powerful 2012 drama. The incredible Denzel Washington may get top billing and most of the screen time, but make no mistake, Reilly is the beating heart and emotional anchor of Flight.
What Is Robert Zemeckis’ ‘Flight’ About?
Flight tells the story of pilot Whip Whitaker (played by Washington), who, after piloting a flight that ends up crashing because of a mechanical failure, comes under heavy scrutiny for having both alcohol and cocaine in his system at the time of the crash. Even though he pulled off a maneuver that only a handful of pilots in the world could accomplish and saved hundreds of passengers’ lives, the National Transportation Safety Board wants to know if he was impaired during the accident that killed six people. If it is found out that he was under the influence, Whitaker is looking at significant jail time and the airline is going to be heavily fined. While he’s recuperating in a local hospital, he meets a quiet woman named Nicole (Reilly) who has almost died from a heroin overdose. She is similar to Reilly’s Yellowstone character in some ways, but very different in others. When the two begin a romantic relationship, Nicole and Whip both battle some serious demons and addiction while trying to maintain a star-crossed relationship that will be put to the test.
Kelly Reilly has a quiet intensity about her that always enhances her performances. Beth Dutton is fiery when she needs to be, but the underlying pain that the actress brings to the character from her tumultuous and strained relationship with her late mother and demanding father is what drives her. In Flight, she has some of the same vulnerability as an abused young woman with a severe drug problem. When she meets Whip, she is in the process of making a concerted effort to get clean. Whip helps her out with an abusive motel owner who is about to throw her out on the street and gives her a place to stay, so initially, Nicole feels indebted to him for his kindness.
‘Flight’s Nicole Is Similar to ‘Yellowstone’s Beth Dutton
As Whip continues to spiral downward into boozy oblivion, Reilly begins to bring some of that Dutton family attitude to Nicole. She has gotten a regular job and is attending AA and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) meetings, making a concerted effort to get back on her feet. With her character’s backstory of being a sex worker and an addict, Reilly is mesmerizing as a single woman who seems ready to buckle under, but like Beth, she summons the strength to not only stay clean but try to bring Whip along with her so that the two can have a healthy relationship. Reilly blossoms as Nicole, who is determined to claim her independence.
Beth Dutton can compartmentalize her pain and use her smarts to get what she wants from men who consistently underestimate her smarts and business acumen. In Flight, Nicole is earnest, soft, and extremely understanding as Whip’s struggle only gets worse as he begins to feel the weight of the PTSD of the crash and an ongoing NTSB investigation. However, her patience only goes so far, and Reilly really brings the emotion as a newly sober and confident woman who has to go toe to toe with Washington who is one of the most powerful actors in the business. As Whip, Washington is an angry and mean drunk who gets in Nicole’s face in the most intense and well-acted scenes in the film.
There are only a few actresses in Hollywood who can go tit-for-tat with an emotionally charged Denzel Washington, and Reilly, who is the true heart of the movie, does it with keen aplomb. She exudes both empathy and elegant agency, as she knows that Whip is headed down a path that she cannot follow if she wants to stay clean. Like Beth Dutton, Nicole is a survivor, but not selfish. She wants to bring him along, but as the saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
Kelly Reilly Makes You Want Her ‘Flight’ Character To Succeed
Unlike Beth Dutton on Yellowstone, Flight’s Nicole isn’t born of privilege, and she has had to scratch and claw for everything she has. She truly lives life day to day and takes nothing for granted. So when she makes one last impassioned plea to a drunk and irrational Whip, it is Reilly at both her softest and most honest, and it’s why she is the beating heart of an otherwise bureaucratic story of a governmental agency’s investigation into a pilot after a crash. The flawed character aspect of the story falls to Washington as the main player struggling with the ubiquitous problem of addiction and denial, but the heavy lifting of the human emotional element falls on the shoulders of Reilly.
Throughout Flight, we so desperately want Nicole to pull Whip out of the abyss that has grabbed him by the ankles and wants to pull him into an unimaginable darkness. If you know or have loved an addict, then you canidentify with Nicole’s frustration at not being able to latch onto Whip with both hands and set him on the straight and narrow. And if the raw performance of Reilly as a kind, but down-on-her-luck soul can’t do it, then all you can do is peek between your fingers as you cover your eyes and wait for that addict to hit a new rock bottom.