After the scope of Braveheart, The Passion Of The Christ, Apocalypto and Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson is working on a smaller canvas for his sixth directorial feature. The kind of action thriller Hollywood is supposed not to make anymore, Flight Risk is a chamber piece, confined almost entirely to a single location — a rickety plane described as a “kite with seat belts”. It may not be particularly novel but it is well made, well performed by a cast who understand the assignment, and has enough twists, turns and tweaks to formula to keep it fresh. It also features the scary sight and sound of Mark Wahlberg warbling his way through New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’. Be warned.

Appearing on the 2020 Black List of Hollywood’s hottest scripts (that year’s list also delivered Todd Haynes’ May December and Scott Derrickson’s upcoming The Gorge), Jared Rosenberg’s screenplay is stock stuff — a government agent,...