January might be the weirdest month on the movie calendar. It’s the time of the year where we get no major studio releases. And much of what we do get are movies that the studios don’t have a lot of faith in. Yet January isn’t a total loss. It’s when a lot of the big awards movies finally make their way into theaters. And there are usually one or two unexpected surprises that we never see coming.

I thought “Flight Risk” might qualify as one of those January surprises. A big reason is because it’s directed by Mel Gibson – his first venture behind the camera since 2016’s Oscar-nominated “Hacksaw Ridge”. While he’s mostly known for directing sweeping period films, this time around he has made a straightforward no-nonsense suspense thriller that is very open about its ambitions. From the very start start you should know exactly what you’re in for.

Unfortunately “Flight Risk” doesn’t quite deliver the silly yet entertaining thrill-ride it hopes to. It’s light and easily digestible with the kind of wacky premise that you almost expect to have fun with. But the film struggles to get off the ground (glaringly bad pun intended). And once in the air it remains stuck on auto-pilot, unable to generate anything resembling the kind of white-knuckled excitement it desperately needs.

The film is written by Jared Rosenberg whose screenplay spent several years on the Hollywood Black List. His story revolves around three characters caught in a bonkers scenario. Michelle Dockery plays Madelyn Harris, a Deputy U.S. Marshal who tracks down and arrests a man named Winston (Topher Grace) at an off-the-grid motel in rural Alaska. We learn he’s a wanted mob accountant who quickly becomes a high-value government witness after agreeing to testify against a powerful kingpin.

In order to get Winston to New York for the trial, Madelyn first has to get him to Anchorage. So she charters a beat-up Cessna piloted by Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg) to make the 90-minute flight. But while cruising at 3,000 feet high over a range of snow-covered mountains, we get a not-so-shocking reveal – Daryl is not who he says he is. In fact, he’s a psychotic contract killer hired by the mob to kill Winston. Daryl finally makes his move, but after an intense fight Madelyn is able to subdue him.

Most of the film takes place inside the cramped plane with Daryl tied up but attempting to free himself; Madelyn (who’s not a pilot) trying to figure out how to fly the plane; and Winston bouncing back-and-forth between being annoying and providing comic relief. The drama between the three fluctuates between nearly reaching its potential and languishing in long stretches of dullness. And the film’s finish is even worse – serving up a frustrating non-ending that makes us wonder if a chunk of the story is missing.

On paper, “Flight Risk” seems like a movie ready-made for people looking for a diverting escape. But its laundry list of problems prove to be insurmountable. It’s a movie hampered by a lack of imagination, clashing performances, half-baked plotting, and an overall absence of any real excitement. Over the years Gibson has proven himself to be an exceptional filmmaker. But it’s hard to see “Flight Risk” as anything other than a misfire.

VERDICT – 2 STARS