Directed by Clint Eastwood (American Sniper; Letters from Iwo Jima; Million Dollar Baby; Mystic River; Jersey Boys; Invictus; Gran Torino) and starring Tom Hanks (Cast Away; Saving Private Ryan; Forrest Gump; Philadelphia; Captain Phillips; Sleepless in Seattle), Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight; London Has Fallen; I, Frankenstein; The Rum Diary), Mike O'Malley (Concussion; R.I.P.D.; Cedar Rapids; Deep Impact and Glee (tv series)) and Anna Gunn (Equity; and Breaking Bad an other tv series).
Action drama, 9 mins; 12+
This film is set around the remarkable true-life events of 15 January 2009 when Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) landed a plane on the Hudson River in New York City. He, flying together with co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), had taken a split-second decision not to try to land at a nearby airport when the plane lost power in both engines and decided to land on the water instead. All 155 people on board survived. He had estimated that the plane was too low and had not enough elevation to fly above the sky-scrapers, nor enough fuel left to get the either of the nearby airports.
The film focuses on the immediate aftermath and the official investigation that followed, led by Charles Porter (Mike O'Malley) and Elizabeth Davis (Anna Gunn) who initially felt that Sully had had enough time to land at one of the two available airports. Sully comes across as a very level-headed, experienced professional who acknowledges that the investigators need to do their job, yet he also needs to keep his wife and family aware of what is happening, before he cam return home. He supports, and is supported by his co-pilot, the team together with the cabin staff.
This is definitely not a courtroom drama, nor is it anything like the 2012 film Flight, starring Denzel Washington. In fact, parts are so realistic that it felt at times to be a real-life documentary. But it is based on a real-life event and real-life people - don't leave before the credits have finished rolling as there are some scenes featuring the real Sully and many of the original passengers. It also shows how ordinary people rallied to the cause and responded as heroes when called to do so.
The film features much flash-backs to the actual incident, some of which are highly charged and emotional. While Sully was being heralded for his aviation skill resulting in all crew and passengers surviving virtually unscathed, the investigation threatened to destroy his reputation and his career. The audience gets to see inside the mind of the pilot which ranges from the clear, collect and logical to turmoil as the investigators do not seem to be taking the human factor into account into their findings, including simulation runs.
Highly recommended!
