Hanks and Eastwood recreating the historic event with grand efficiency.

Rating: 9/10 (11 September 2016)

SULLY (2016) *** 1/2 Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley, Anna Gunn, Jamey Sheridan, Valerie Mahaffey, Jeff Kober, Chris Bauer, Ann Cusack, Molly Hagan, Jeffrey Nordling, Michael Rapaport. Well produced biopic about the true-life event involving commercial pilot Chesley 'Sully" Sullenberg (Hanks in another flawless, low-key turn) who managed to safely land his US Airways plane onto the Hudson River in 2009 saving all aboard and avoiding a catastrophe in the process. While the screenplay by Todd Komarnicki - based on Sully's book with Jeffrey Zaslow - is streamlined to a fault, director Clint Eastwood's economic, lean and straightforward helmsmanship is not unlike his protagonist's own accord - clear-eyed and on-target. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and universally recognized are the ones who like Sully was completely in control in an out of control scenario with not one iota of ego nor aftermath accepting the mantle without the hubris accompanying it. Hats off to the visual effects team for recreating the historic event with grand efficiency.