Susan Granger’s review of “Sully” (Warner Bros.)
What you think you know about how Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger skillfully glided his disabled U.S. Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, is only the beginning of the story.
Which is why director Clint Eastwood begins this harrowingly realistic, compelling re-creation with the “Miracle on the Hudson,” after which Sully was widely acclaimed as a national hero.
Though it was kept secret at the time, skeptical members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) seriously questioned Sully’s judgment, accusing him of needlessly endangering his crew and passengers with a forced water landing.
Based on sensor readings of the Airbus 320’s left engine, computer simulations showed that the commuter jet could have safely returned to New York’s LaGuardia or made an emergency landing at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
So it’s up to Sully (Tom Hanks), backed by his loyal co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), to prove that his judgment was correct, noting, “No one has ever trained for an incident like that.”
Under Eastwood’s astute direction, Tom Hanks truly embodies this modest, yet efficient professional aviator, as disbelief, denial and realization subtly register on his face within a crucial period of seconds, while Laura Linney captures the angst of his wife Lorrie in California.
Based on Sullenberger and author Jeffrey Zaslow’s book “Highest Duty,” it’s adroitly adapted by Todd Komarnicki – paying due respect to the air-traffic controllers, ferryboat personnel and intrepid helicopter divers who retrieved all 155 passengers and five crew members, stranded on the icy Hudson River, within 24 minutes.
The supporting cast is outstanding, including Michael Rapaport, Mike O’Malley, Holt McCallany, and ferryboat Captain Vincent Peter Lombardi, playing himself.
Recalling 9/11, someone one-the-scene says, “It’s been awhile since New York had news this good, especially with an airplane in it.”
To which, Capt. Sullenberger added, “I think it gave everyone a chance to have hope, at a time when we all needed it.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Sully” is a tense, exciting 8, as Clint Eastwood, once again, proves he’s a superb storyteller.
