Sully (October 2016)

Official Australian release date: 8/9/16. Viewed: 15/10/16.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Actors: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Mike O’Malley, Laura Linney

Genre: Drama

Rating: M

‘Sully’ is the biopic of Captain Chesley Sullenberger (Hanks) and his First Officer, Jeff Skiles (Eckhart) who had to land their plane in New York’s Hudson River in 2009, after both engines failed directly after take-off. Even though it was all over within five minutes, the film does a great job of exploring a bit of what happened before, a lot of what happened directly after and plenty of the investigation. It’s edited well, so it’s not all chronological.

Surprisingly, this is Eastwood & Hanks’ first collaboration, and they’re both in good touch here – Hanks is the no-nonsense, but relatable soon-to-be-retired pilot, Eckhart is the slightly-younger and more enthusiastic co-pilot and Eastwood keeps the narrative flowing and never allows it to get too boring, technical or bogged down in the passenger’s experiences. Linney is sparingly used as Sully’s wife Lorraine, and Porter (O’Malley) is head of the NTSB investigation – essentially the ‘bad guy’.

The film works as an investigation/mystery, casting some doubt, but also has plenty of tension and action showing the actual crash and aftermath. While it’s not sad per se, it did almost bring a tear to my eye in some parts, as it is a feel-good film at its heart, with “this is some good news that New York really needed – especially when involving a plane” really hitting home.

Overall: Well-made, well-acted true story.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.