Warning: Major Spoilers for Flight Risk below!I was looking forward to seeing Mark Wahlberg cut loose as a nasty villain in Flight Risk – but how the movie actually used him is a disappointment. Whether by accident or design, Flight Risk is Wahlberg’s first villain role in 29 years. He hasn’t played a true antagonist since 1996’s Fear, so there was hype surrounding his return to the dark side for the lasted Mel Gibson-directed movie.

I thought the film worked as a fun if forgettable three star thriller, but Flight Risk has largely been savaged by critics. Those same reviews covering Wahlberg’s performance have been mixed. Some found his hammy turn to be the highlight, while others found Wahlberg’s shaved head distracting and that his character’s Sєxual threats were deeply unpleasant. One thing I was curious about walking into Flight Risk was how it would generate suspense with only three characters trapped in a tiny space; it turns out it sustained itself largely at Wahlberg’s expense.

Mark Wahlberg Isn’t Actually In Flight Risk That Much

Wahlberg’s unnamed killer is a literal background character most of the time

Once Wahlberg’s pilot makes his true intentions known, Michelle Dockery’s U.S. Marshal Harris renders him unconscious and ties him up in the back of the plane. The movie then largely becomes a two-hander between Harris and Winston (Topher Grace), and I slowly realized Wahlberg’s character was – literally and figuratively – going to be a background player. To be clear, he’s part of the thriller throughout, but his ᴀssᴀssin spends a decent chunk of the runtime unconscious.

Despite being plastered over Flight Risk’s posters and trailers, Wahlberg is a supporting player in this story. This isn’t all bad since it puts Dockery front and center, but it’s a bold choice considering Wahlberg is the only true movie star in the cast. It’s also likely it isn’t actually Wahlberg seen in the background of scenes, but a stand-in. I’d be curious to learn how much screen time Wahlberg’s pilot has throughout since it feels like less than 20 minutes.

Flight Risk Literally Restrains Mark Wahlberg From Doing More

Wahlberg finds his hands tied as a performer in Flight Risk

Flight Risk stumbles upon an accidental visual metaphor for Wahlberg by keeping him restrained for most of the movie. When he’s conscious, the ᴀssᴀssin is constantly making bad jokes and distasteful comments – most of which feel ad-libbed. I can see Wahlberg is having a total blast playing such a vile scumbag, instead of the straight-laced action hero. It feels like there could have been a version of Flight Risk from 20 years ago where Wahlberg played the Marshal and Gibson the crazed killer.

In truth, the film could have used more from Wahlberg. The story has a bad habit of knocking him out whenever it needs to focus on exposition, so that means Wahlberg will remain offscreen for another extended period. Dockery and Grace are also entertaining, but Flight Risk never becomes the three hander that it should be. Wahlberg’s pilot needed to project a bigger physical presence too.

Menacing as his threats are, I never felt like Wahlberg’s killer was that major a threat. He’s clearly not great his job as he fails to deceive Dockery’s Marshal, who then bests him in every fight they have. He’s neither as scary nor funny as Flight Risk needed him to be, and the character is shoved to the side too often.

Flight Risk Would’ve Been Better With More Of Mark Wahlberg

More Wahlberg would allow the thriller to truly take flight

Restraining Wahlberg has the knock on effect of making Flight Risk feel too safe. Had his character been a larger part of the narrative, it could have made for a wilder ride. How this would have worked is another question; if the pilot isn’t tied up, he’d try to kill his pᴀssengers. Even so, the tension deflates whenever Wahlberg is offscreen and his threats become increasingly hollow as he struggles against his bonds.

I think some viewers disliked Flight Risk largely because Wahlberg almost feels like a guest star, instead of the movie’s lead as advertised. I wanted the thriller to be more unhinged and nastier than it was – just like the moment Wahlberg’s character partly degloves his own hand while escaping from handcuffs. The way the audience at my screening squirmed in horror at this moment is telling, and the film would have struck more of a chord with three or four similar moments.

Flight Risk feels like the kind of thriller that will be rediscovered in five years and become a cult favorite. Despite its faults, I had a good time with it. I just wish it had cut looser – and also cut Wahlberg loose for more of the runtime.