Hero Worship

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2016)

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆ out of 5 ) THIS FILM IS RECOMMENDED. IN BRIEF: A bio-pic that tells its story concisely but lacks a real emotional lift-off. GRADE: B SYNOPSIS: The true story of Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's emergency water landing and its aftermath. JIM'S REVIEW: Everyone needs a hero and Sully is the latest bio-pic about an American idol. The story is well known, as is the outcome, but as directed by Clint Eastwood, the film immerses the moviegoer in a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Sully's saga. In January 2009, this ordinary man successfully crash-landed his plane into the Hudson River, saving all 155 lives on board. We witness this "Miracle on the Hudson", and view the event both before and after the crash, or as Sully called it, "an emergency water landing". Although the filmmakers smartly stage the crash in multiple scenes via flashbacks and dream sequences, it lands squarely on the dramatic after-effects that haunt this aviator. As Sully and his crew are subjected to a thorough investigation by the Federal Transportation Safety Board, who become the film heavies in this movie, the film takes flight, even if it treads too lightly on its subject. Played by Tom Hanks, in common man mode, the film aligns us to our hero from the start. From a competent screenplay by Todd Komarnick, which is based on Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's own autobiography, there is an imbalance of the facts by Mr. Eastwood that biases our judgment and places the moviegoer in direct support of Sully and his actions, without naturally questioning his decision-making process. (One wonders if many passengers were injured or died during this crash if the same public reaction would have happened. So to paint the FTSB as the fall guys isn't very fair or logical. It is, after all, the procedure that occurs with any aviation incident. However the doubt factor, flight simulations, and conjecture of the inquiry does make for good conflict and compelling personal drama.) Solidly directed by Mr. Eastwood, the film is very well-crafted. The CGI is effectively done. The acting by Mr. Hanks and Aaron Eckhart as Sully's co-pilot, is strong. Anna Gunn, Jamey Sheridan, Mike O'Malley, and an underused Laura Linney as Sully's wife are all fine in their supporting roles. Yet, emotionally, the film seemed to be stuck in auto-pilot for this reviewer, a disconnect with the characters' traumatic circumstances. The narrative structure doesn't follow a linear structure and has issues with a choppiness as it jumps from the aftermath to the accident itself and then back to Sully's past life. The episodic script never quite lands, causing an aloofness in its clinical retelling. The many plane crash sequences, shown from varying points of view, are overdone, serving as pure filler. While the film successfully establishes the personal tension of the investigation quite effectively, it underplays the dramatic gravitas. Were more of the screen time spent on this conflict, the film could have been more directly involving. Less time spent on the actual impact (of the plane) and more time spent on the personal stakes from the results of plane crash would have been more powerful for this moviegoer. Still, Sully shows a vivid portrait of a nice guy, humble to a fault, who was thrust into a dire life-and-death situation and survived to tell his tale. Mr. Eastwood honors him and the first emergency responders admirably. But depicting the man as less of a saint and more of a human being could have made this film more believable and thoroughly engaging. Yes it's a riveting and uplifting story but the film plays it too safe, looking for that soft place to land. NOTE: There is a lovely song written by Mr. Eastwood, called Flying Home, during the end credits. Stay and have a listen.