BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- “Flight Risk” is not “plane” awful, it just never gains enough “attitude” to make it interesting. This high-flying tale of an Air Marshall (Michelle Dockery), a captured fugitive (Topher Grace) and a maniacal killer (Mark Wahlberg) has the kind of action and unrealistic banter that would be good enough for an episode of a TV show such as “9-1-1” or “Chicago Fire.” It doesn’t hold up as a feature film. The action starts in a remote frozen part of Alaska where Winston (Grace), an organized crime accountant, is hiding after stealing money from his boss. He is captured by Madolyn (Dockery) whose backstory is more complicated than a Grimms’ fairy tale. She must take him back to civilization where he can testify instead of going to jail. What should have been an uneventful 90-minute trip to Anchorage becomes deadly when the pilot turns out to be a sadistic killer named Darryl (Wahlberg). Everyone must put their tray tables in the upright position to fight for control of the plane. If you have not seen ANY of the commercials for “Flight Risk” then there are a few drops of entertainment to be enjoyed. Those who saw even one commercial or online trailer will go in with the knowledge that the pilot is evil. That takes away what would have been the biggest surprise in the script. There are a few other twists, but they follow such a standard formula, it is easy to know where the plane is headed long before it takes off. What makes the flatness of the film so frustrating is that this is the first film directed by Mel Gibson since “Hacksaw Ridge” in 2016. His bland approach to the story, characters and action  creates the question of what happened to the vision Gibson showed in such works as “The Passion of the Christ,” “Braveheart” and “The Man Without a Face.” The only part of the casting he got right was having Dockery play the Marshal. Her background with “Downton Abbey” gives the role an immediate weight that would not have been there with a lesser performer. She can handle the emotional moments surrounding her character’s troubled past while also looking comfortable with the fight scenes. Dockery is the best part of the film. The same cannot be said for Grace and Wahlberg. The way Grace plays the accountant on the run is as if his character from “That ‘70s Show” was in the handcuffs. It is OK for a character to toss off a few witty lines when nervous, but the endless string of verbal zings gets old long before the end of the runway. Then there is Wahlberg. This entire review could be filled talking about his decision to shave his head to make Darryl come across like a freaky friar. The best thing to say is that it is as large a distraction as it is comical. Wahlberg’s efforts to make Darryl as evil as possible included an endless string of offensive sexual comments. He just doesn’t have the acting skills to make the dialogue work. This role would have been played on a much higher level by an actor such as Nicolas Cage who knows how to deliver such vile words with the kind of evil that is guaranteed to make skin crawl. The other major problem is the format. Because 95% of the movie has the three actors confined to the airplane there are only a few scenarios that can be used. The killer is in charge. The killer has been subdued. The killer has escaped and is back in charge. Screenwriter Jared Rosenberg tries to build some extra emotion and tension through the relationship between fugitive and captor plus a conspiracy on the ground. They are never fully explored and leave the film feeling like a bag of peanuts with only three nuts in it. “Flight Risk” is definitely a film that can be enjoyed at home – where you can take your shoes off just like at an airport - for those willing to wait until it comes in for a landing on a streaming service. That’s because it never flies above the tropes that are acceptable with a TV product but not justified when asking moviegoers to dish out bucks to see it. Movie review Flight Risk Grade: C- Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, Topher Grace Director: Mel Gibson Rated: R for violence, language Running time: 91 minutes.