Written by: Todd Komarnicki
Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O’Malley, Anna Gunn, Autumn Reeser
Rating: [3.5/5]
Typically when crafting a film about an individual or an event, some time needs to pass in order to fully grasp what occurred and the reverberations made. Sully waited about seven years following quite the extraordinary event and procedural hearings in the aftermath taking us into the mindset of the man behind it all. Efficiently crafted and effective, this feature gives Tom Hanks another role to demonstrate his exemplary skill.
Taking off for a typical flight from New York to Charlotte, pilots Sully (Tom Hanks) and Jeff (Aaron Eckhart) encounter a flock of birds ruining both engines with their only safe landing spot being the Hudson River. While heralded as a hero, Sully and Jeff must face the National Transportation Safety Board, who raise doubts if he made the proper decision based on the circumstances.
When hearing of heroic feats as exhibited by Sully on a 2009 morning, they receive the plaudits rightfully earned but perhaps not all of the administrative follow-ups. Certainly not as newsworthy but this feature takes the time to highlight not only the feat accomplished here but also the two pilots needed to defend their actions in such a high-stress moment. A reaction they needed to act on very quickly with 155 individuals on board counting on them to get them to surface safely, which allows for a personal look at this aftermath for Sully on top of the stress of what the National Transportation Safety Board insinuates could have been done differently.
At the end of it, something went wrong with this plane following the birds causing engine failure and it behooves this board to turn over every rock to ensure everything that could have been done was considered by the pilots. Luckily, this feature takes us right into the cockpit when the inciting incident occurred to dramatize the stress of the moment. Of the options to land was a nearby airport but Sully makes the determination they will not make it because of the damaged engines and makes the executive decision to land on the Hudson River. Thus this feature becomes a back and forth about if Sully could have feasibly made it to the local airport instead of sustaining the damage done to the plane by landing in a body of water. Again, something quite ridiculous to think about when lives were saved due to his actions, but the situation warrants an investigation.
The stress of this aftermath impacts Sully, but also his family as well with the raised media attention brought to them because of his bravery and incredible effort leading to no casualties onboard. Diving deep into these emotions demonstrates one of the strengths of the feature as you see a man begin to question whether he actually did the right thing and what impact it will have on the remainder of his career and his legacy. As mentioned in the feature, he has flown for over 40 years transporting a million passengers but everything could come down to his actions during this very terrifying moment where others would just panic. We sit with Sully through all of this making for some good character work.
For a feature filled with many procedural hearings, it also includes the landing and the maneuvers necessary for these pilots allowing for the feature to have a strong set piece to the film. Even with the full knowledge everything will go well, the way Eastwood films this sequence truly raises the blood pressure in the horrifying reality of what occurs if they get it wrong. The looks Sully and Jeff share as they try to figure it out makes me appreciate pilots even more for the burden they bear each time they take a plane in the air. It makes for such a thrilling scene all culminating when they hit the water.
Shining a light on the underappreciated aftermath of a gargantuan achievement under the circumstances, Sully comes in as another Clint Eastwood special delivering all of the goods. Tom Hanks brings his affable charm to the table in the way he does proving to be the perfect actor for these types of roles. Even with all of the procedural hearings occurring, they still carry so much intrigue in the conversations held and why in the world this board would try to scrutinize the actions of someone who committed such a heroic event. Everything pieces together for something incredibly enjoyable and well-crafted by all involved.
Films with Josh 
