We count on rather a lot from Mel Gibson when he steps behind the digicam.

Blame “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Apocalypto” and “The Ardour of the Christ.” Heck, the auteur’s debut, 1993’s “The Man With no Face” deserves applause, too.

So when “Flight Danger” hit theaters earlier this yr critics had been lower than overwhelmed. The challenge, on the floor, is beneath Gibson’s abilities. It’s a style romp that wraps in 90 minutes and options subplots finest served in a B-movie setting.

Methinks they missed the purpose.

“Flight Danger,” on VOD platforms and arriving on 4K UHD (+ Blu-ray™ + Digital) Combo Pack SteelBook®, Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 1, is a palate cleanser for Gibson … and us.

He’s gearing as much as shoot “The Ardour of the Christ” sequel subsequent, so this should have been an inventive warmup for that audacious activity. Audiences, in flip, get an ideal Saturday night time title. “Flight Danger” grabs you by the scruff of the neck and hangs on till the tip credit begin.

Gibson didn’t tax himself with the challenge, nevertheless it additionally benefited from his populist DNA. He is aware of tips on how to stage the pulpy parts, and he’s aided by a small however mighty forged.

Michelle Dockery stars as Madolyn, a troubled FBI agent tasked with shepherding a star witness to trial. She positioned sad-sack Winston (Topher Grace) in a rundown Alaska motel. Now, the 2 should fly to Anchorage and, later, Seattle to verify he can squeal on his boss.

Simple peasy, proper?

It doesn’t assist that the airplane’s pilot, Daryl (Mark Wahlberg) is simply too chatty for his personal good. He additionally has one thing to cover, turning this seemingly benign flight right into a struggle for survival.

OK, the trailer offers away Daryl’s intentions, nevertheless it’s nonetheless enjoyable to see Good Man Wahlberg play in opposition to kind.

Extra, please.

Did critics give “Flight Danger” a more durable time attributable to Gibson’s off-screen woes? Or, did they count on a status image from him and located the movie’s grindhouse veneer off-putting? It’s inconceivable to say, however “Flight Danger” is an excessive amount of enjoyable to disclaim in any state of affairs.

(This teaser video ought to have let everybody know what to anticipate…)

It’s a battle of wits within the sky, as Madolyn makes use of all of her assets to maintain Winston alive and Daryl at bay. The movie unwisely introduces a bigger ingredient to the story, a possible leak inside the FBI that led to Madolyn’s plight. 

That’s by no means given the depth it deserves. Why not jettison the angle and persist with the fundamentals? Three individuals. One gun. A airplane which will or might not have somebody to land it.

That’s greater than sufficient, assuming you’ll be able to swallow a number of gaps in logic.

Grace may do his position in his sleep, however he injects Winston with a humanity we don’t see coming. In the meantime, Dockery’s character couldn’t be much less of a Mary Sue. She’s a courageous, resourceful heroine who nonetheless strikes us as  susceptible.

Give her an motion franchise, stat.

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The script gained’t win any awards, nevertheless it’s environment friendly and infrequently makes us wince. That’s greater than some thrillers can boast. Have you ever seen Anthony Mackie’s “Elevation?” Yikes.

The only Blu-ray additional, “Danger Administration: Making ‘Flight Danger,’” affords an eight-minute glimpse on the manufacturing. Screenwriter Jared Rosenberg shares how the pandemic influenced the movie’s themes, whereas we study the thriller took simply 22 days to shoot.

The featurette could also be temporary, nevertheless it captures how lots of the pictures got here to be. The airplane cabin seems to be as small as marketed on set, forcing an intimacy on each forged and crew. Plus, we see how inexperienced screens and a number of cameras pulled off the completed product.

Or, because the Oscar-winning director defined, “You gotta go in there and MacGyver the entire thing.”