Sully Review

(Poster Source: Wikipedia)

September 11 will always be an infamous day in American history. The events of that terrible Tuesday shocked the entire world, and in the 15 years that have followed, multitudes of things have changed in global society.

Yet the fortunate side of this story is that despite New York’s tragic experience with planes that day, the city later witnessed an absolutely miraculous event which involved aviation. There’s no doubt that this relieved some of the trauma of earlier years.

On January 15, 2009, United Airlines Flight C1549 experienced dual engine failure mere seconds after takeoff. However, in an unprecedented showcase of timing, ingenuity, and problem-solving, pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) and his first officer Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) landed the plane in the Hudson River. This was obviously a risky move to make, but all passengers and crew survived the crash.

In the days that follow, Sully and Skiles participated in a series of hearings and discussions to determine whether or not the crash was a wise decision to make.

On that note, director Clint Eastwood’s career is nothing short of legendary. The man has directed many films, portrayed numerous memorable characters, and his influence has undeniably trickled into the industry.

But at this stage of his career (and his life for that matter), Eastwood seems concerned with defining what a hero actually is. His current body of work certainly reflects such things. What sort of legacy should a man leave behind? One of sheer greatness, humility, or even both?

Whatever sort of specific message he intended on conveying here, the subject of heroism is a key factor in Sully’s script. Considering the fact that the story takes an interesting direction in portraying the events in question, the film’s depiction of heroism is all the more provocative.

Rather than resorting to the typical temptation of telling the story from Points A to B, screenwriter Todd Komarnicki wisely implemented nonlinear storytelling.

What I mean by this is that Sully opens immediately following the crash in question. Thus, the filmmakers inform the audience that they have alternative narrative goals--to define whether or not Sullenberger and Skiles were heroes, judging them by their conduct during and after the incident. This, along with many other factors, made Sully much more compelling for me in the long run.

Such is the case since the in-story investigation grounds the plot in relatably-human drama. As a result of this, suspense continuously builds up as the story explores whether or not the protagonists did the right thing.

But what makes this approach ultimately work is the manner in which the real-life events were depicted. Eastwood and Komarnicki avoid glorifying the supposed hero, but Sullenberger's flaws are not overbearingly shown either. Rather, the story unfolds over time, presenting each event exactly how they took place.

Even though the story is ultimately slanted in Sullenberger's favor, I was struck by how I still felt like a quiet and objective observer of these events. This is a major accomplishment since this film's direction currently echoes that of a Hollywood dramatization.

By framing the story in such ways, Sully is convincing, impactful, and moving since the audience is not necessarily told what to think. The information is simply depicted on screen, and the viewers are left to interpret what they see. For me, I could not avoid the fact that Sully did a very heroic thing given all that took place in this major event, on top of how the film depicts everything.

(Photo Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

Granted, I was occasionally bothered by the film’s apparent need to show us just how skilled of a pilot Captain Sullenberger was (I use the past tense due to his retirement in 2010). What the film shows of the Flight C1549 incident would have been enough to showcase this, in my opinion.

While the flashbacks of Sullenberger’s days of flight training are solid, they seemed less relevant due to the repetitive message they conveyed. Within the grand scheme of this film's theatrical cut, perhaps trimming a couple of these scenes would have been more effective.

Nevertheless, the story is ultimately a successful look into the humanity behind this unprecedented water landing. With that in mind, I was also impressed by what Sully had to say about modern technology. Of particular note in this regard is the film’s climax: in this, the topic of human ingenuity comes into question. For the sake of spoilers, I will not delve into much greater details.

But for me, Sully ultimately shared powerful, predictive insights into how society could be impacted by artificial intelligence. This is, of course, a subliminal message in the greater context of the story; even so, Sully helped me appreciate humanity on a greater level, no matter how much human error may play a factor into people's decisions.

Aside from the screenplay, though, Sully ultimately succeeds based on the performers and Clint Eastwood’s assured direction.

I would assume that few are surprised that Tom Hanks gave a great performance here, which he does. However, as I watch more films featuring this prolific actor, I tend to notice how subtly he approaches each role.

Hanks has had huge emotional moments in the past, but overall, he generally finds a way to depict his characters with a calculated level of calmness. Such is the case with his portrayal of Captain Sullenberger; despite an intense moment in the opening minutes of the film, Hanks remains quiet and reserved, yet simultaneously confident. These attributes are wholly consistent with his character, and from what I understand about Sully’s true-life persona, he also matches reality. Such is one of the marks of a great actor.

Aaron Eckhart is also entertaining in his role as First Officer Skiles, even if perhaps he plays up the comedy too much at times. His lines hit the right punches well, though, so I did not have any major issues with how he approach the character. His entertaining performance counterbalances and compliments Tom Hanks in a perfectly suitable way.

And let's not forget that Eastwood did well to direct Sully with confidence, precise visual language, and sheer intensity as well.

It takes a rare filmmaker and crew to immerse their audience into the world they've crafted. On top of that, great skill is required for making the audiences experience the same trauma as the characters onscreen without being overbearing. Such is the case with Sully, for Clint Eastwood's crew did well to make each airplane sequence feel claustrophobic, tense, and heavy.

Perhaps this is mainly because of how these scenes are handled with a matter-of-fact tone, never deviating into Hollywood cornball nonsense. One way or another, these scenes will certainly get under your skin like they did for me (I was shivering during these sequences during my first watch).

My only wish is that I could have seen Sully in IMAX, considering that it was reportedly filmed almost entirely with IMAX cameras.

(Photo Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

But all in all, Sully is the rare biopic which accomplishes more than shamelessly idolizing a flawed individual. Captain Sullenberger may not have been perfect, but considering all that this film does right, I came to greatly appreciate what he did.

As a tribute to a heroic workman and a work of entertainment, you can't do much better than Sully.

8.0/10

RED FLAG FOR PARENTS (spoiler alert)

-DRUG ABUSE: Some casual drinking occurs in a New York bar. A bartender remarks that he created an alcohol beverage in honor of Captain Sullenberger. Some men appear to be drunk in this same scene.

-PROFANITY: Aaron Eckhart's character says the F-word in a scene in which he is jogging with Tom Hanks's character. Otherwise, several scatological terms and other mild profanities are used at various sections of the film.

-SEXUAL CONTENT: A woman kisses a married man on the cheek, but she is unaware of his marital status when this occurs.

-SUBJECT MATTER: Human error is a major factor in Sully's plot, especially with regards to the main character. Also, expect for there to be some images that depict the damaging effects of PTSD.

-VIOLENCE: Although Sully could potentially cause anxiety in various viewers, the violence level is kept to a minimum since Flight C1549 was a successful water landing. The most intense imagery comes from PTSD-induced visions/dreams in which Captain Sullenberger imagines what would have happened if he chose to land elsewhere. His plane crashes into Manhattan buildings in both cases, causing large explosions as a result. The intensity of the crash sequence is much more subtle with how the tension is built, for such derives from director Clint Eastwood's faithfulness to the actual event in question. We witness such realism through excellent sound design and the many ways in which the characters react to their dilemma (although hysteria is the general reaction).