Sully is a Winner!

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2016)

One might debate why it is important to make a feature film about an event that has received so much attention in the media. The crash landing of a Charlotte bound US Airways flight out of LaGuardia ("Cactus 1549") on January 15, 2009, and the heroism of Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger have already been etched deeply into our collective consciousness. Still director Clint Eastwood vividly recreates the event and offers a good human touch to the story.
Out of central casting, the film features Tom Hanks as Sully, Aaron Eckhart as the co-pilot, and Laura Linney as the long-suffering wife Lorrie. Hanks is especially believable as the sensitive yet unflappable pilot.
The unique angle of the film is to focus on the follow-up scrutiny of the safety and transportation board that takes Sully to task on the split second decision that he made to land the plane in the East River. Should he have attempted to fly back to LaGuardia or try to have landed at Teterboro Airport?
There was a fascinating set of simulations of the crash scene that ultimately vindicated Sully and his co-pilot. The simulations reveal the importance of the experience of the pilot, who was drawing on a lifetime of flying to respond to the 2009 emergency.
Overall, this was a compelling and moving film experience that shed light on the complexity and air travel that we often take for granted as passengers. Kudos to the writer, director, and actors!