Denzel Washington is one of the most acclaimed actors of our time–from his Academy Award-winning role in “Training Day” to his portrayal of a hardened bodyguard avenging the kidnapping of a little girl in “Man on Fire,” he constantly astounds moviegoers with his complex characters. And his work in “Flight” as a widely praised but deeply flawed pilot is no exception.

Washington’s character, Whip Whitaker, has become a lauded hero for landing his malfunctioning, plummeting aircraft by performing the unbelievable maneuver of actually rolling it in the air. Whitaker himself declares at one point, “Nobody could have landed that plane like I did.” But he also has a secret that only a select few people know: he was drunk and high at the time of the crash.

Now, anyone who has watched the trailer already knows these basic plot points. But that in no way prepares the viewer for the two-plus hours that follow. Most moviegoers will probably walk into the theater expecting a thrilling, courtroom-type drama where a heroic, mostly innocent man fights for his freedom. If that is the case, most moviegoers will be caught off guard by the thoughtful but intense film they’ll actually see.

This movie is, in essence, a two-hour-and-eighteen-minute character study–an in-depth, multi-layered character study. Washington does not portray a man who had a couple of drinks the night before a flight and has now become the scapegoat for a tragic situation. On the contrary, there is nothing noble or innocent about this man. He is a drunk. He is a man who did cocaine a couple of hours before flying a plane full of passengers and drank vodka while actually in the air. He is a careless, pathetic, selfish man who also happened to save the lives of 96 people aboard his aircraft.

Washington pulls off this role flawlessly. His acting is spot-on in every scene. He broke the law and yet he saved people–the moral quandary here is obvious, and Washington handles it brilliantly. The gasps and groans of the audience were audible each time this pilot fell back into self-destructive behavior. And he is not the only incredible actor in this movie. Kelly Reilly is beautifully fragile and sympathetic as a drug addict Whitman befriends. Bruce Greenwood and Don Cheadle both shine as Whitaker’s old friend and lawyer, respectively. And John Goodman, who is only onscreen for a few minutes throughout the entire movie, steals every scene he’s in with his loud, foul-mouthed, larger-than-life character.

Every character is complex. Everyone is compelling. But be warned: this is not a movie about a plane crash. Nor is it a movie about a trial. In the end, this is a movie about addiction and the destructive power it wreaks on one man’s life. It’s not the type of film where you just sit back and enjoy the show. It’s gritty, it’s real, and, at times, it’s very hard to watch. It’s never easy to sit back and watch the protagonist’s life turn into a complete train wreck. But it’s also a film about redemption, about the power of truth.

So, if you’re looking for a movie that requires more than passively lounging in your seat and eating popcorn, if you like stories that make you delve into another’s life for a couple of hours, then make sure you check out this “Flight.”