On the afternoon of January 15, US Airways flight 1549 piloted by Chesley “Sully” Sulenberger was forced to make an emergency water landing on the Hudson River after a bird strike took out both engines. With the plane now losing altitude at a rapid pace, Sully makes the hard decision to land his aircraft on New York’s Hudson River. All 155 people – or “souls” as Sully calls them – aboard survived. This would have been more effective since at the root of Captain Sully’s dilemma was the welfare of his passengers.
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Tom Haueter, who was the NTSB’s head of major accident investigations at the time and is now a consultant, said he fears the movie will discourage pilots and others from fully cooperating with the board in the future.
Hanks is fantastic as Sully. From the snow-white hair, matching moustache and humble demeanor, Hanks embodies his character.
Clint Eastwood has defended the Sully scene which depicts planes crashing into Manhattan skyscrapers.
At 86, Eastwood has still got it. That was some of the best acting I have ever seen from anyone.
However, even as Sully is being hailed a hero for his actions by both the media and the public, an investigation is underway into why Sully decided to make an emergency landing in the river instead of trying to make it to an airport runway. They’re also eager to watch the film released on theaters Friday night. His storytelling technique infuses loads of humanity into what could have been a vanilla re-enactment. “It was the conflict, the drama that Sully had to go through”.
Tom Hanks stars as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in “Sully”. The flashbacks are handled in a way that makes them seem more real than the present, creating an effect that makes you feel as impacted by the events as the character. Sully repeatedly says that he is not a hero and was just doing his job but the people investigating the crash are also just doing their jobs. The blow-back is intense, with a lot at stake, like jobs, pensions, reputations, insurance payouts. Though he gets far less screen time than Hanks, Eckhart manages to communicate Skiles’ gratitude at being alive, the same PTSD that Sully is experiencing, and the weight of the responsibility he and Sully were both under. Could he have made it back to LaGuardia or another neighboring airport? Multiple computer simulations indicate the aircraft could have landed safely at either airport. The viewer starts doubting the protagonist, even Sully gets concerned about his actions.
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And Eastwood and Hanks put all the pathos back in. He always makes Sully painfully human, emphasizing both the pilot’s doubts and certainties in the quiet, low-key way of the naturally reserved. Heck, the entire cast – including Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Molly Hagan, and Mike O’Malley – is just so good.
