Tom Hanks is the revelation of this Clint Eastwood-driven biopic

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2017)

Tom Hanks has soared as one of the most versatile actors in last few decades while Clint Eastwood on the other hand, has contributed as a major icon not only to Hollywood but American entertainment. So it is pretty easy to understand why many would have speculated a product of an actor like Tom Hanks and an ingenious filmmaker like Clint Eastwood. That is where this riveting drama centered on the major 2009 event known as "The Miracle on The Hudson" comes into place. Clint Eastwood conducts the astonishing story of commercial pilot Chelsey Sullenberger who made a daunting decision to land an airplane on Lake Hudson following a failure of plane engine, a decision that many would expect lead to tragedy but instead ended with unexpected triumph. A gray-haired Tom Hank stars as pilot Chelsey Sullenberger (nicknamed "Sully") in Clint Eastwood's retelling of January 15, 2009 when Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (played by Aaron Eckhart) were forced to make an emergency landing on the Lake Hudson after their plane engine was maliciously destroyed by a flock of geese in the air. When this fearsome stunt miraculously saves the lives of all 155 passengers on board, he is almost instantly held as a hero by the national public. However, Sullenberger also becomes a target of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board that unexpectedly jeopardizes his career as well as his newly earned reputation.
Clint Eastwood has a sense of livelihood in storytelling which he has best exhibited in his previous few entities. This one is almost equally as riveting as you could come to expect from a Clint Eastwood entry, though it follows a slightly odd story structure. This biopic opens with the titular man immediately in the plane in a jarring flashback of the aforementioned disaster, then the story strolls through the aftermath of the harrowing debacle as the man is almost senselessly falls under scrutiny by the National Transportation Safety Board. It is not until around the halfway point when we witness the mid-air catastrophe which is done realistically. With writer Todd Komarnicki providing a hefty hand for the script, the film paints a mesmerizing portrait of the heroism that defined Chelsey Sullenberger on that fateful day while shining clear light on how heroic actions don't always come without a cost. And without the need to villainize the National Board (at least not in an over-the-top way), Eastwood provides us with a sensible look at both legal and psychological repercussions that threaten to tear Sullenberger apart as the person the public deeply admired him as. As the story moves on, Clint Eastwood accomplishes the essential task of pushing depth of the lead character including the psychological aftermath that disturbs his inner being. On top of it all, the real revelation in the mix is Tom Hanks. Now pushing his sixties, Hanks strives with a powerful performance as the spirited lead character, a role that allows him to shine like gold. Though this does not mark the first time Hanks has ignited the role of a real-life tragic figure as he portrayed the titular role in Paul Greengrass's 'Captain Phillips' in 2013, he provides just enough emotional gravitas to make for a memorable role. Even if he doesn't quite pack the same visceral energy he did the 2013 biopic, his performance still demands for admiration.
Sully is a riveting biographical drama blooming with the likeliness of Clint Eastwood's solid direction and Tom Hanks' blissful talent in the performance department. It is a moving picture that unfortunately doesn't quite fall in the crowd of Eastwood's most masterful features. But in the end, the film paints a smart, triumphant tribute to the heroic Chelsey Sullenberger, a man that many still admire to this day.