When I first heard that they were making a movie about the “Miracle on the Hudson”, I was a bit surprised. There is no denying that it was the stuff of top breaking news back in 2009 and a true sign of bravery and heroism, but I didn’t think there was much beyond the landing and rescue.
Like most stories that are prevalent in the news, the January 15, 2009 incident was top fodder but it gradually faded from the American consciousness. Since much of the story is already so well known, I had doubts that a film adaptation could really work but Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood, goes beyond the events that we know and tries to suggest that there was more to the story than most of us knew. With a running time that barely clears the 90-minute mark, the film mostly succeeds at sustaining our interest but a lot of the elements feel shoehorned in to add more meat to the story. Despite this, the film is still mostly exhilarating and the parts of the story that we do know, end up being some of the most nail-biting moments of the film.
The events of the 2009 incident are not shown to us in a chronological fashion. Clint Eastwood has elected to use a narrative that relies heavily on layered flashbacks. It doesn’t make the proceedings confusing to follow but it adds little progression to the main events of the film. It mostly feels like a way to add more minutes to the run time. Thankfully, Eastwood focuses most of his attention to the meticulous recreation of the accident ditching, the rescue, and subsequent National Transporation Safety Board investigation. The recreation of the incident works better from a dramatic standpoint because they seem to expertly recreate it but the NTSB investigation and exploring Sully’s resulting PTSD take a bit of dramatic license that doesn’t prove to be that interesting.
The dramatization of the flight proves to be Sully’s most impressive slice of filmmaking. Despite knowing what happens ahead of time, the tension remains very high. A veteran director like Eastwood understands how to use audience expectations to the movie’s benefit. Anticipation lends an edge to the routine pre-takeoff checks performed by Captain Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) at LaGuardia Airport. The plane is airborne for only about six minutes before Sully brings it down for a near-perfect water landing in the Hudson river after a bird strike knocks out both engines. His experience as a pilot informs him that he probably can’t make it to any of several nearby airports for a conventional emergency landing. This is a beat by beat recreation of events that could prove to be boring but Eastwood makes every moment memorable and makes you feel like you are experiencing the events first hand.
Tom Hanks plays Sully as a sensible man who knows how to work hard under pressure. This isn’t going to be considered a role to remember for Hanks but it is a solid performance. Hanks’ innate likability also goes a long way to make us root for and believe in Sully and that’s simply all the movie needs. Aaron Eckhart plays Sully’s co-pilot and is the only other person with substantial screen time. He’s reliable in the role and makes one wish that Eckhart received more roles than he currently does. Laura Linney is on hand as Lorraine Sullenberger, Sully’s wife, but the only time we see her is when she’s on the phone with her husband. It’s a pretty thankless role but she does what she can with it.
Eastwood and cinematographer Tom Stern chose to shoot Sully almost entirely using digital IMAX cameras – a decision that enhances the immersion factor for those seeing the movie on large format screens. Sullenberger’s behind-the-scenes involvement in the production gives Sully a strong window into the captain’s thought process and provides a rare upbeat story from a turbulent decade.
This is an old-fashioned tale of heroism at its finest and its only stumble block is that some of the filler feels a bit unnecessary. When Sully focuses on the event at hand, the film is surprisingly strong and deserves a commendation for these moments of high tension that keep the audience invested in the outcome, even if we already know it.
Reel Talk gives Sully 3 reels.
