Sully
Shudipto Priyodarshan
The movie Sully is based on the real-life incident popularly known as The Miracle on the Hudson.
The film has been directed by Hollywood veteran Clint Eastwood and stars Tom Hanks, who portrays the main character, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, better known as Sully.
Aaron Eckhart co-stars as co-pilot Jeff Skiles.
The movie deals with US Airways Flight 1549 and all the events preceding and following its landing on the Hudson River in 2009. Tom Hanks is no stranger to portraying real life characters, you can always depend on him for a convincing performance.
Perhaps what impressed me most was the structure of the film, which can actually be compared to the blockbuster hit, Deadpool, which is based on the Marvel Comics character and came out earlier this year.
What I mean by this is that the events are not depicted in a perfectly chronological order. Instead, the film starts off with the plane landing having already taken place. The very first scene we get is of traumatised Sully replaying worst-case scenarios in his head, struggling to deal with the aftermath of the ordeal. Post-traumatic stress is a recurring theme in the film, and is utilised very well to add depth to Sullys character.
Captain Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles get hurled into the media spotlight, and to their relief, they are seen as heroes. A successful water-landing was unprecedented, and therefore, very rightly gets termed as a miracle. The film manages to convey how this incident instilled hope into the American people.
The antagonistic force comes in the form of an NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) investigation, which tries to determine what went wrong with the aircraft and whether the pilots were reckless in their decision to land on the Hudson when they possibly had much safer options.
Laura Linney plays the role of Sullys wife, who is used to build up his character further. Their relationship serves as the emotional core of the film.
The second act shows the actual events that transpired in the form of flashbacks. We are also taken back to the time when Sully was just starting out as a pilot.
The actual length of time between the plane taking off and it being forced to land is quite short, therefore, the director didnt have much to work with. But he manages to get us emotionally vested through the effective use of supporting characters, including the passengers and the airplane crew. Hanks and Eckhart do a great job with their acting, showing us the stress that the pilots had to deal with in the cockpit and how they eventually came to the conclusion of landing on the river.
The final act of the film includes the penultimate hearing that would decide the fate of Sully and Skiles. It would establish once and for all whether they were actually culpable for what could have been a massive disaster, or whether they were genuine heroes. This is the most nerve-wracking part of the movie, and director Eastwood does a very good job of building tension. I dont want to give away too much in spoilers.
Now for the flaws of the movie. The film often feels inorganic, like you can almost tell that certain scenes were only included to dramatise the events further. At times, the characters and their actions seem inauthentic. We should be eternally grateful that in real life Captain Sully managed to land the plane quickly and with zero casualties, but because of that there wasnt enough material that could make the film more compelling. The drama at times seemed forced.
Overall, I would say it is a very solid film. Definitely worth checking out.
