Sully

There are some films that makes one wonder why did they produced a film based on that event or person. Did they simply run out of ideas for subject matter or was it for the shear ca-ching factor? Well if any film was rife for making an effective film based on true events, it would be that of "Sully".

On Thursday, January 15th, 2009, the world witnessed the "Miracle on the Hudson" when Captain Chesley Sullenberger, nicknamed "Sully" (Tom Hanks) glided his disabled airline jet onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 on board. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) investigation headed up by Charles Porter (Mike O'Malley), Ben Edwards (Jamey Sheridan) and Elizabeth Davis (Anna Gunn) was unfolding that threatened to destroy Sully's reputation and his career even though his first officer, Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), being his obvious witness, was by his side continuously.

Others to round out the cast are Laura Linney as Elaine Sullenberger, Sully's wife, Valerie Mahaffey as Diane Higgins, Delphi Harrington as Lucille Palmer, Holt McCallany as Mike Cleary, Ahmed Lucan as Egyptian limo driver and Jeff Kober as LT Cook.

This was seamlessly directed by the consummate veteran, Clint Eastwood ("Play Misty for Me" '71, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" '76, "Pale Rider" '85, "Unforgiven" '92, "True Crime" '99, "Mystic River" '03, "Million Dollar Baby" '04, "Gran Torino" '08, "Invictus" '09, "J. Edgar" '11, "Jersey Boys" '14, "American Sniper" '14) plus many other films too numerous to list. Suffice it to say, this filmmaker knows how to get his actors to emit the right emotion, to convey a believability of character to make a film soar like no other. For an 86 year-old professional, this is amazing--it would be an amazing feat for a director 30 years Eastwood's junior. This guy obviously loves films so much that he will probably pass away on a set of one of his films. It was surprisingly written well by virtual newcomer, Tom Komarnicki ("Resistance" '03, "Perfect Stranger" '07). Sure this writer has experience, but considering the lack of longevity in a field that lives by the adage "practice makes perfect", this was an extremely well-crafted script. Of course, this film being based on the book, "Highest Duty" by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow certainly was an amazing reference in which to write a stunning screenplay. And with Hanks at the top of his game here, certainly at his top in a long time, how could this be anything of a questionable film in all circles? Even the visual effects predominantly created by MPC (Moving Picture Company) didn't take away from the seriousness of the subject matter, not to mention the message it holds, but they actually enhanced the film. I'll tell you, anyone who is curious to see how the 'system' of an investigative effort in the arena of aviation would be taking notes during this--it is that detail oriented.

When this happened back in 2009, I knew it would be made into a film, it being fraught with plenty of circumstances that would make for a stellar story, and after viewing this, my thoughts back then were founded in a film that is both informative and entertaining all in a 96 minute running time.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                 Rated: PG-13                                   96mins.