SULLY 3 stars Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney; PG-13 (some peril and brief strong language); in general release
Its nice to have a movie like Sully come around every once in a while. Director Clint Eastwoods re-creation of 2009s Miracle on the Hudson is the kind of story that will restore some of your faith in humanity.
Most audiences are familiar with the events of January 15, 2009, when veteran airline pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger made a dramatic emergency landing on the Hudson River and delivered all 155 of his passengers and crew to safety. But knowing the happy ending in advance doesnt make Sully any less captivating.
Eastwood picks up the story (which is based on Sullenbergers book Highest Duty) in the aftermath of the landing, as Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) are grilled in the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Outside closed doors, the media has anointed Sullenberger a hero, but in between interviews with Katie Couric and David Letterman, bureaucrats are second-guessing his decision to make such a risky landing.
The NTSB argument is simple: According to computer simulations, Captain Sullenberger could have steered U.S. Airways Flight 1549 back to LaGuardia for a safe landing. Captain Sullenberger and Skiles disagree, insisting that investigators are failing to consider the human factor.
While this man vs. machine conflict plays out, Sullenberger deals with the surreal experience of getting a heros welcome everywhere else he goes, whether dropping by a local bar or taking a jog through Times Square. Until the investigation concludes, Sullenberger remains separated from his wife Lorraine (Laura Linney), who understands that if the investigation goes badly, she and Sullenberger could be left without his pension.
The biggest challenge for Eastwood is holding the audiences interest in a story that sees its dramatic peak early on before settling into a back room drama. His solution is to start off at the NTSB hearing and set up the conflict, then step back and show us the dramatic landing about halfway through the movie.
The strategy works. Even knowing the outcome, watching the event against its New York backdrop (Sullenbergers landing happened only a few years post-9/11) is a moving and sobering experience. The scenes in which the crash is re-created are actually pretty restrained when considered at arms-length, and Eastwood allows the reality of the situation to provide the emotional weight rather than rely on a lot of flashy editing and effects.
Hanks doesnt have to do much more than be a steely, white-haired 2016 Tom Hanks here, and hes a perfect fit for the role. Hankss world-weary gaze and calm, understated performance is a seamless match for a man with over 40 years of experience in the air.
Frequently that gaze wrestles with nightmares of crashing the plane into the city. Eastwood has had to defend his decision to include images that are so evocative of 9/11, but considering the context and message of the film, those scenes feel more appropriate than insensitive.
At 95 minutes, Sully isnt an in-depth character study, nor a twists-and-turns drama with a lot of poetic writing. But Sully may be even more effective as a simple portrayal of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Chesley Sullenberger may be the face of the event, but its the team effort that makes Sully truly moving.
Sully is rated PG-13 for some peril and brief strong language; running time: 95 minutes.
Its nice to have a movie like Sully come around every once in a while. Director Clint Eastwoods re-creation of 2009s Miracle on the Hudson is the kind of story that will restore some of your faith in humanity.
Most audiences are familiar with the events of January 15, 2009, when veteran airline pilot Chesley Sully Sullenberger made a dramatic emergency landing on the Hudson River and delivered all 155 of his passengers and crew to safety. But knowing the happy ending in advance doesnt make Sully any less captivating.
Eastwood picks up the story (which is based on Sullenbergers book Highest Duty) in the aftermath of the landing, as Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) are grilled in the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Outside closed doors, the media has anointed Sullenberger a hero, but in between interviews with Katie Couric and David Letterman, bureaucrats are second-guessing his decision to make such a risky landing.
The NTSB argument is simple: According to computer simulations, Captain Sullenberger could have steered U.S. Airways Flight 1549 back to LaGuardia for a safe landing. Captain Sullenberger and Skiles disagree, insisting that investigators are failing to consider the human factor.
While this man vs. machine conflict plays out, Sullenberger deals with the surreal experience of getting a heros welcome everywhere else he goes, whether dropping by a local bar or taking a jog through Times Square. Until the investigation concludes, Sullenberger remains separated from his wife Lorraine (Laura Linney), who understands that if the investigation goes badly, she and Sullenberger could be left without his pension.
The biggest challenge for Eastwood is holding the audiences interest in a story that sees its dramatic peak early on before settling into a back room drama. His solution is to start off at the NTSB hearing and set up the conflict, then step back and show us the dramatic landing about halfway through the movie.
The strategy works. Even knowing the outcome, watching the event against its New York backdrop (Sullenbergers landing happened only a few years post-9/11) is a moving and sobering experience. The scenes in which the crash is re-created are actually pretty restrained when considered at arms-length, and Eastwood allows the reality of the situation to provide the emotional weight rather than rely on a lot of flashy editing and effects.
Hanks doesnt have to do much more than be a steely, white-haired 2016 Tom Hanks here, and hes a perfect fit for the role. Hankss world-weary gaze and calm, understated performance is a seamless match for a man with over 40 years of experience in the air.
Frequently that gaze wrestles with nightmares of crashing the plane into the city. Eastwood has had to defend his decision to include images that are so evocative of 9/11, but considering the context and message of the film, those scenes feel more appropriate than insensitive.
At 95 minutes, Sully isnt an in-depth character study, nor a twists-and-turns drama with a lot of poetic writing. But Sully may be even more effective as a simple portrayal of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Chesley Sullenberger may be the face of the event, but its the team effort that makes Sully truly moving.
Sully is rated PG-13 for some peril and brief strong language; running time: 95 minutes.
