Director Clint Eastwood had me stymied for a bit as this movie began. The story starts out a little slow; not what I expected. But the man is a genius, give him his due, and just at the right moment, BAM, he launches the sequence of 208 seconds that will live forever in the annals of twenty first century heroics. Aptly called “The Miracle on the Hudson,” this movie documents the events of January 15, 2009, something that had never happened before and most likely will not happen again.
Tom Hanks stars as Chesley Sullenberger, the (now) renowned pilot who commandeered his Airbus 320, with 155 passengers aboard, to a landing in the Hudson River, with no loss of life. Both of the plane’s engines had been rendered powerless after a flock of geese flew into them, shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia airport. Hanks is, once again, a powerhouse on screen. In his long and illustrious career, he has only made one movie that was a loser, Ladykillers (2004), and for that he can be forgiven. His performance as Sully is rivaled only by his acting in Captain Phillips, particularly the last fifteen minutes of that film. Aaron Eckhart as his able co-pilot, Jeff Skiles, also gives a stand up performance.
Sully
Entertainment Rating: ★★★1/2
Rating: PG-13: scattered profanity, adult theme throughout
Possible Oscar Nominations: Best Movie, Clint Eastwood Director; Best Actor, Tom Hanks, Film Editing, Blu Murray; Visual Effects, a cast of hundreds
Everyone knows, or should know this story. That the plane landed safely, and everyone got out alive. It was front page news for weeks. What we didn’t know was what it was like in the cockpit during those fateful moments, and what the passengers endured as they scrambled for safety. Director Eastwood and actor Hanks give us what has to be a reliable look at those three minutes and twenty eight seconds, and despite knowing the outcome, you will be glued to your seat as the moments unravel. The photography of the plane floating over New York City trying to avoid a crash landing alone is hypnotizing, much less the composure of the two pilots facing certain tragedy as they realize the plane has no power.
It is unlikely there were any actors or actresses of note among the passengers, but they played their roles as if they were all contending for an Oscar. From the moment they were notified from the cockpit to “brace” themselves, to the moment they were safely ashore, you believed they were actually on the original flight. The first responders were also up to snuff, rounding out an amazing true story on screen, as good as it gets.
A portion of the film is devoted to the events after the landing, including the initial investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. There are some compelling moments in those scenes, but they pale in comparison to the event itself. Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks are a powerful twosome, and we can only hope they team up again soon.
