Sully
Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rated: PG-13
208 seconds. For most of us, it's a minuscule amount of time that has little meaning in our day. For Captain Chesley Sullenburger, 208 seconds were the difference between life or death for 155 passengers on board flight 1549.
After birds fly into flight 1549 and render both engines useless, the plane is quickly about to stall. Captain Chesley Sullenberger has to find a safe place to land in New York City. What follows is the famous "miracle on the Hudson". This gains Sully the title of "American hero". However, in the days following the event, Sully and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) face investigation by the National Transportaion Safety Board questioning their landing.
Tom Hanks is fantastic in this role. He perfectly portrays the humble Sully, a man who consistently insists he is not a "hero", but just doing his job. He is never over the top or exaggerated. Instead, he is restrained and composed. His steady demeanor during the landing scene is quite impressive. We see the crash takes a toll as Sully struggles with nightmares and visions of what could have happened on the plane. His emotional reactions are especially interesting throughout the film as he never loses it, but there are tense emotions bubbling at the surface.
Aaron Eckhart plays Jeff Skiles, Sully's co-pilot. He has just the right balance of dramatic and comedic scenes in the film.
Instead of directing the film chronologically, Clint Eastwood builds up to the crash scene, keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. Eventually, the audience sees the ordeal through flashback. It's a smart directorial decision that keeps the tension building towards the event.
When it comes time for the actual scene, we see the plane land through a few different points of view. Each point of view creates an equal amount of anxiety, even though we all know the outcome.
Through strong acting and direction, Sully gives its audience an intense and compelling look at what took place surrounding Flight 1549's landing in the Hudson River. The results will keep you on the edge of your seat.
My Rating: 9/10