Sully

Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey, Mike O'Malley, Anna Gunn, Michael Rapaport
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Chelsey Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) miraculously lands his disabled airplane on the Hudson River, but soon faces scrutiny for his actions.

Review:

Tim: Perspective is everything. It's funny, with Sully, we get another really, really good film from Tom Hanks. We've been getting so many of these in recent years- Bridge of Spies, Saving Mr. Banks, Captain Phillips. Hanks plays real life people, he delivers exceptional performances, but the movie itself peters out just below the line for greatness. Now, you could argue that Hanks needs to make more great movies. He's one of the greatest actors of all time. And you could feel frustrated that Sully is yet another really, really good movie that's not great. But, the other side is to sit back and marvel at how many effective, entertaining films Hanks has made in the last half decade. I toggle back-and-forth in my own mind. I wanted to love Sully, but maybe I should just be happy it's a solid, entertaining film. It does frustrate me that with all these great performances, Hanks hasn't been nominated for an Academy Award since 2001 (which blows my mind).

Anyway, to the film. Clint Eastwood directs an effective story about Captain Sully. This is a great example of a filmmaking telling an intense, exciting story about a real-life event we all know about. We know how the story ends. And yet, wisely, this film doesn't make its focus the actual landing on the Hudson. We know that he lands the plane safely and no one dies. The real drama here comes in the aftermath- in the investigation into whether Sully made the right call or not. I don't know how much of this is real life and how much was fictionalized for Hollywood, but it makes for an entertaining, engaging story. It's an interesting question- are our heroes really heroes? Looking just at Sully, we feel like the answer is yes, but the investigators raise interesting questions. This movie could have used a little more grey instead of black-and-white, but still, it all makes for good drama.

You have so much talent here that it's not surprising this is an effective, memorable movie. Eastwood is a great director and it's amazing that he continually churns out these strong movies at this late stage of his career. I love that he got to work with Hanks here. Hanks delivers yet another very strong performance. His performance is just so good- he embodies this character and brings humanity to him. We've all seen pictures of Sully, but in Hanks' hands, we start to identify with him, to understand him. It's so much fun to watch. I really like Aaron Eckhart and was excited to see him here, delivering a strong supporting performance. Laura Linney was another great addition to the cast, but I wish she had more to do. The film could have used another 10 minutes or so to really round out some of these characters. It's interesting that this clocks in at only 1 hour, 36 minutes. I give Eastwood credit for not letting the film drag at all, but he might have been a little too focused in his storytelling.

Eastwood does a good job of showing the crash scenes. We get these a few times throughout the film and it really puts you in the cockpit and helps you begin to understand what this might have been like. It had to be the most harrowing, frightening experience for everyone involved. I loved getting to see the decision making process of the pilot and copilot and how little time they actually have in such situations.

While I wish I loved this movie more, that's not to take anything away from it. Eastwood and company took an event we all know about and gave us more insight into the situation and the people. He kept us engaged and interested and told a powerful story about a modern day hero. Hanks delivers a superb performance (he should have been nominated) and overall, this is a solid, deserving film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
American Sniper, Saving Mr. Banks, Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies