Sully

It's not easy to present recent history in film. The rescue of 155 souls in an airplane who were diverted to the Hudson River is still in our memories (I remember them standing on the wings). Tom Hanks does a cool, underplayed version of Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who will live in the annals of heroism for as long as we talk about heroes. I was wondering how one takes a two minute event and turns it into a bracing film. But they do. By including the events in the investigation of the landing, they are able to keep our attention. Sullenberger's actions came under tight scrutiny because the airline "lost a plane." As it turns out, the lead investigator for the NTSB wasn't played quite accurately. Of course, we are in need of a villain, and the geese that flew into the engines wouldn't make good witnesses. I'm used to filmmakers playing a bit fast and loose with events, but let's face it, everyday things don't draw much attention. Hanks is good. The pacing is good. The recreation of the landing is quite apt. A good film.

One of the most remarkable incidents of the 2000s was when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landed in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. All of the 155 passengers on the plane survived. This dramatization of the incident, starring Tom Hanks, tells the story of Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who pulled off the Miracle on the Hudson, as it's called. Hanks gives a solid performance as Sully, who is conflicted as to whether or not he endangered the lives of all of the people on board. Aside from the incident itself, most of the movie is dedicated to the debate over whether or not the plane could potentially have returned to LaGuardia. The FAA is made out to be a villain of sorts. Some may argue that this is not as interesting as the incident itself, or that it isn't good movie material. It still works as a film, as it is more about Sully himself than anything else. Director Clint Eastwood does a great job at telling the story, by cutting the incident into several scenes and having the rest be about how it affected Sully's life, and that of his family. After the incident, Sully himself had to deal with PTSD, as well as the stress of instantly becoming a celebrity. His wife and daughters also had to deal with a constant bombardment of attention from the press. This is the focal point of the movie. It's about the people, not the incident. In that regard, it is a very good movie, but if you're expecting it to be about the incident itself, go watch any of the documentaries made about it.

The movie is enjoyable to watch and gives a good impression of what must go on inside the mind of a pilot after such a spectacular accident. The depiction of the actual ditching (landing in the water) and the conversation between the pilots and controllers is quite accurate, and with CGI, quite believable.

However, the depiction of the investigative process, including the behavior of the investigators, is not realistic at all. I have worked as a professional pilot and air accident investigator for most of my life, and the investigation as depicted in this film is pure fiction.

In several interviews with the director, Clint Eastwood, he admitted that the movie needed a villain or antagonist, so he chose to depict the investigators and the investigative process as much more hostile than it really is.

Greetings again from the darkness. Society has a tendency to go to extremes – hero worship for those who probably don't deserve it and character assassination for those who have the gall to be less than perfect. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger has experienced both. On January 15, 2009, Sully made the decision to land the crippled aircraft of US Airways flight 1549 right into a river … an event immediately labeled "Miracle on the Hudson".

Surprisingly, this is the first film collaboration for Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood. Both have cinematic experience with true life stories and real people: Hanks most recently in Captain Phillips and Bridge of Spies; and Clint with American Sniper and J. Edgar. This one is the perfect fit as Hanks takes on a good man who takes pride in doing his job, and Clint brings to life a story that showcases the best of human nature.

Tom Komanicki adapted the screenplay from the book "Highest Duty", co-written by Sully and Jeffrey Zaslow. Much of the attention is given to the doubts and uncertainty Sully experienced during the NTSB review. The scrutiny of his work by the committee (played here by the ultra-serious Mike O'Malley, Anna Gunn, Jamey Sheridan) left his career and reputation dangling, inspiring nightmares that are much worse than yours and mine.

Certainly we are in awe of what Sully pulled off that morning, but as movie goers, we are anxious to see the plane crash/splash/landing. Clint comes through in breath-taking fashion. While it lacks the hysterics and drama of the upside-down plane in Flight, this re-creation is so realistic that we nearly obey the flight attendants repeated instructions of "Heads down. Stay down". Even the cockpit chatter, passenger evacuation, and first responder's (many of whom are real life folks, not actors) activities are played in matter-of-fact manner … more people just doing their job. We shiver knowing the icy Hudson River water is 36 degrees, and we feel Sully's anxiety as he desperately tries to get a final count … a count that he prays will hit 155.

Aaron Eckhart plays co-pilot Jeff Skiles and has a couple of memorable scenes, and Laura Linney embraces the thankless role of telephone wife of Sully during the aftermath and hearings. We get a glimpse of Sully's background with flashbacks to his flight lessons at a Denison Texas private airfield, as well as a portion of his military service. Hanks is the perfect choice for a role that would have suited James Stewart just fine if it were the 1940's.

The conflict here comes from the NTSB inquiry. Backed by computer simulators that show the plane could have coasted back to LaGuardia, we get the distinct feeling that the committee's goal is finding human error – naming a scapegoat (other than Canadian geese) for their "lost" plane. It's Sully who reminds us that the committee is simply doing their job … just as he was, Skiles was, the Flight Attendants were, and the first responders were.

This is technically expert filmmaking. We know the ending, but are glued to the screen. Frequent Eastwood collaborator Tom Stern handles the cinematography, and like the acting and story-telling, the camera work avoids any excess or over-dramatization. The film provides one of the best examples ever of the duality of hero worship and intense scrutiny, and how a person can be a hero by simply doing their job. The closing credits show clips of the flight's reunion and every survivor would agree that the best among us allowed a continuation of life … something that could have gone to the other extreme.

If there's one thing you can count on Clint Eastwood doing well, it's directing an emotionally heartfelt story. Sully continues Eastwood's success by giving us probably the most human drama of 2016.

"The miracle on the Hudson" is the subject of this Eastwood drama, starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, and Laura Linney. There will be plenty of obstacles with any film based on a true story, but with a film based on an event that lasted a mere 208 seconds, it's extra difficult. But Eastwood manages to pull a great story out of these unbelievable events that comes in just under 2 hours. Of course, the flight itself isn't the only hurdle that captain Sully went through, as he dealt with reporters, investigators, and the National Transportation Safety Board determined to diminish his heroic efforts.

Who could possibly be better to play Captain Sully than the great Tom Hanks. Having wonderfully played another "controversial" captain back in 2013 as Captain Phillips, there was no doubt he could pull off a somewhat similar role. Boy does Hanks deliver. He always effortlessly pulls out the big speeches and powerful dialogue well, but I often find his more subtle acting to be more impressive. It's the moments when Sully is reacting to the big moments with only his facial expressions and body languages that give me goosebumps. Not many actors are able to bring me to the verge of tears just by a facial expression, but Hanks is one of them.

Eastwood and his editors also deserve tons of credit for their work here. Much like Hanks' subtle acting, I love when Eastwood holds back the bombastic music (that can sometimes take you out of a story like this) and lets the audience choose how to feel by watching gorgeous cinematography and poignant acting and directing. This may be Eastwood's best directorial work since Million Dollar Baby. He understood exactly the moments to use and not music in order to pull the emotion out of his audience.

Most of all, this film is a great display of the power of the human spirit. Everything about this film is grounded with humanity. No one seems fake. So often Hollywood is flooded with over-the-top filmmaking that can easily dilute the power of the film's message. Sully knows exactly what it's going for, and it does it to near perfection.

+Eastwood back at the top

+Hanks subtle acting

+Power of human spirit

91/100