Sully

On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed a commercial airliner on the Hudson River in New York City, and all 155 people on board survived. Dubbed "The Miracle on the Hudson", it was a remarkable feat that bore eerie similarities to another New York plane crash a few years prior, but had a decidedly more pleasant outcome.

Tom Hanks (Sully) and Clint Eastwood collaborate for the first time, and it's a match made in heaven. The story is incredible, and the tone of a New York miracle adds some magic that wouldn't have quite the same effect if it were anywhere else in the world. As one supporting player says, "It's been a long time since this city has had a good news story... especially one involving an airplane".

Hanks carries the film on his shoulders with an aged look; white hair and mustache, and an intentional maturity that absolutely captures the real man behind the story. He has a calm, almost banal demeanor. He isn't a flashy man by any means, and is reluctant to smile or boast about his brilliant display of piloting and heroism that saved hundreds of lives. He's a humble man who is caught up in his own guilt, wondering if he made the right decision because it certainly could have ended differently very easily. Aircraft water landings are historically tragic, and as he was over the Hudson, there were other options for attempts at airport landings that he refused in the heat of the moment. 208 seconds. 3 minutes and 18 seconds from birds destroying his engines to safely landing on a river in the middle of one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It's a heavy decision, and even though everything turned out alright, it's the type of situation he must still be going over in his mind. Sully, not Hanks, to be clear. It's difficult to imagine that Tom Hanks hasn't been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar since 2001's "Castaway". He has had six films according to my count that either could have or should have led to a nomination, if not a win ("Captain Phillips" should have been his third win for the final scene alone, to not be nominated was a travesty). "Sully" will likely be his sixth nomination, but the performance might not be quite enough to capture a win. The character is a bit to bland.

Eastwood once again creates a conflicted sense of brilliance or mediocrity in my mind. The sequences of the airplane in flight and event itself are outstanding. Seeing the plane gliding through the skyline of the city with flaming engines is beautiful and frightening simultaneously, but the supporting cast and dialogue exude typical Eastwood. In an attempt at emotional appeal, supporting characters come off as wooden and disingenuous. He again creates his own musical score, but this time, it just doesn't seem to fit with the theme. I would have preferred something subtle and moody. Something inspiring yet tense. Maybe I'm being too picky. I admire what Eastwood attempted, but aside from the obvious, I wasn't impressed.

The film is heavy on the theme of heroism, but with any story with a strong protagonist, there has to be an antagonist, and this is where Eastwood might play a little fast and loose with the facts. An airplane can't take on that role, nor can a flock of helpless birds, so the burden falls on the investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board. They criticize Sully's actions and put him under a microscope in the inevitable investigation that follows the incident, but it truly feels like a witch hunt and a commentary on what's wrong with post-disaster criticism. It diverted attention from the amazing human interest story; New York City still recovering from 9/11, the ferry crews, first responders, flight crew, and even passengers who contributed to an improbable survival story. The captain and co-captain who did all the right things in spite of impossible odds. Instead, Eastwood chose to vilify the agency in hopes of amplifying the greatness of the story. I didn't like it. Of course, it wouldn't have been much of a film without some conflict, but maybe it isn't the type of story that should have been a feature length movie in the first place.

I suppose I can't knock Eastwood too much, as the event itself was a mere 208 seconds. It is captured from multiple perspectives, and replayed at least twice, including some nightmares of what might have been, which adds to the drama of the story and is harrowing in its own right. I just feel like the event was stretched out a bit too long. This is a fantastic story and a heroic character study, but it simply didn't have enough meat to keep my interest until the predictable, and vindicating end. That said, Hanks has rarely been better. As he enters his sixties, the youthful Hanks of old is a fading memory, but we have the elderly Hanks to look forward to in the coming years. Don't be surprised if he is the next man to win a third Best Actor Oscar within the next decade. "Sully" soars, but can only glide for so long without engines. 7/10.