Mel Gibson clearly brought energy to the "Flight Risk" set as director ... emanating the intensity of his iconic character William Wallace in a promo pushing his newest film -- face paint and all.

A marketing campaign that splashes Gibson's earlier acclaimed earlier films — but not his name — holds an unflattering mirror to this uninspiring action thriller.

The premise is simple: Michelle Dockery plays U.S. Marshal Madolyn, tasked with transporting wiseass accountant Winston (Topher Grace) on a prop plane from Alaska to Seattle. Daryl (Mark Wahlberg), their shady pilot, is secretly working for the bad guys and tasked with killing Winston before he can testify. That’s it. That’s the setup.

Flight Risk,” an action thriller directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg as a balding, unhinged pilot, landed in first place with $12 million from 3,161 North American theaters in its opening weekend.

Mel Gibson's new action film "Flight Risk" has topped the North American box office, taking in an estimated $12 million on a slow winter weekend, industry analysts said Sunday.

Mark Wahlberg stars in the action-thriller, which marks the first film Gibson has directed in nearly a decade.

MEL Gibson’s new action film Flight Risk has topped the North American box office, taking in an estimated US$12 million on a slow winter weekend, industry analysts said on Sunday. Read more at The Business Times.

Mel Gibson's Flight Risk debuts at number one at the box office, despite a lower haul overall, while Steven Soderbergh's Presence underwhelms.

Mark Wahlberg stars in the action-thriller, which marks Gibson's first directorial effort in nearly a decade. Elsewhere, Steven Soderbergh's artsy haunted house thriller 'Presence' opened in 1,750 cinemas.

Headlined by the addition of several veteran actors and famous director Mel Gibson, “Flight Risk” released Jan. 24 with the intention of finding great success in an otherwise quiet month of films. It did not.

Although it's mostly set high above the mountains of Alaska, the crime drama "Flight Risk" cannot be said to soar.