Defining A Hero

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2017)

The amount of effort that goes into painting a negative world these days is amazing. News stories tend to follow the old adage of "if it bleeds it leads". Both Trump and Obama are painted in the most negative light by those who disagree with them. The trust of congress is at an all-time low. And yet on the rare occasion we are given the chance to glimpse the possibilities of man. We get to learn of someone who steps up at the worst possible moment and know that deep down each of us possesses that ability.
SULLY is the latest film directed by Clint Eastwood, a man known to play fictional heroes, and tells the real life story of Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), the pilot who in 2009 successfully landed his passenger plane on the Hudson River in New York City and saved the lives of 155 passengers on board. A film made about what happened wouldn't make a feature but a great short film. The bare facts laid out start to finish. But this movie is about more than just those facts.
Without giving us a detailed in depth look into the past life of "Sully", the movie does give us a glimpse behind the man through a few flashbacks and various insights into the days following the water landing. The flashbacks don't take much screen time but show both Sully's passion for flying and his mindfulness when it came to safety. When all of the notoriety was going on he was setting himself up to go into business with just that in mind, safety.
The film chooses to focus more on what happened after the water landing. The scrutiny that came down on both Sully and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) was intense. While an incident like this would immediately call for an investigation was to be expected, the vehemence with which the investigators took to the job as displayed here went beyond what was expected. At every turn it seems they were more intent on finding a way to blame Sullenberger than to find out what actually happened.
With each question posed to Sullenberger the clarity of what actually happened comes into question. Not just in the minds of those asking the questions but in Sully's mind as well. Did he make a mistake? Could he have landed at LaGuardia or Teterboro instead? Was landing on the water the safest route possible? The movie moves back and forth in time from the questioning faced by both pilots to their moments alone trying to recall exactly what happened. Time flows freely here and in such a way as to not be confusing. We're taken back to the passengers boarding and get a glimpse at just who these people were in snippets. We see both pilots going through the day to day work of making sure they're ready for takeoff. We see them dealing with the issues that cause the problems that day, a bird strike in mid-air. And we see why Sullenberger made the choice he did and discover if it was the right one or not.
Webster defines the word hero as "a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities". Chesley Sullenberger qualifies on all of these counts. His is a name that should not be forgotten. He didn't act out of self-promotion, he didn't do what he did to avoid getting in trouble, he did what he did to save lives, to serve his fellow man. These are qualities that seem lacking in many of those we call hero these days.
The movie is so well crafted that you never find yourself checking the time to see how much longer it will go on and by the time the final credits roll you don't feel like it should last longer. The story is so well told it's enough, not too little or too much. It flows seamlessly even when going back and forth in time. Eastwood shows why he's such a gifted director here. Not only does he show what a hero Sullenberger was he shows how the city of New York were a part of the story as well.
While watching the film I was reminded of how far Tom Hanks has come. First fame for him was as a man dressed in drag to save money on a TV series and now he's among the finest actors of our time. I'd place him in the top five any day of the week. He rarely claims the limelight or use his celebrity status to push political agendas. Instead he works and does so incredibly well. Those abilities are on display here as he uses the most subtle of maneuvers to present a man forced into the role of hero publicly but who did so for his own reasons.
With so many movies to choose from these days my biggest fear is that this one will be overlooked. I noticed it was easily available at the local Redbox's while other big name fare wasn't. While those movies are few and worth watching I hope this one doesn't disappear soon. It's a movie that everyone should see. And stick around for the credits as a reunion of Sullenberger and the passengers is in the credits as well. This is what a real hero looks like.