Sully: A White-Haired Tom Hanks
SULLY
DIRECTED BY: Clint Eastwood
STARRING: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney
GENRE: Biographical drama
YEAR: 2016
COUNTRY: United States
On Thursday, January 15th, 2009, the world witnessed the “Miracle on the Hudson” when Captain Chesley Sullenberger, nicknamed “Sully” & is portrayed by Tom Hanks glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.
Courtesy of The Guardian:
“Eastwood and his screenwriter Todd Komarnicki (working off of Sullenberger’s book Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters) make the surprising decision to revisit the event multiple times throughout the lean 98 minutes runtime, to offer the perspectives of Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), the flight’s passengers and attendants, the air-traffic controllers, and even the emergency-response crew. The reenactments are all equally compelling, although one tracking the experience of the passengers gets marred a bit by overt sentimentalism.
Sporting white hair to resemble Sullenberger, Hanks delivers an internal and sympathetic performance. Eastwood doesn’t burrow too deeply into his protagonist’s psyche, other than to visibly demonstrate that he’s haunted by the landing. Still, Hanks, who’s uncommonly, well, sullen, for much of the film, goes a long way to convey Sullenberger’s conflicted anguish. As his worried at-home wife, Laura Linney does some admirable phone acting, emoting believably with only a prop to interact with. But it all never quite takes off.”
PROS:
- Clint Eastwood direction.
- Tom Hanks performance.
- Decent suspense buildup.
CONS:
- Poor re-telling of actual events.
- THIS HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE!
SCORE: 7.5 / 10
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