I really wanted to like this movie, but I was only lukewarm about it

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2016)

I really wanted to like this movie. It tells the story of a good man who tries his hardest to do what is right, only to be blindsided by a bureaucratic establishment that is more interested in rules and the bottom line than human welfare - which those rules should have been created to protect. It stars a very fine actor, Tom Hanks, who gives a very fine, very understated performance. It is directed by Clint Eastwood, many of whose movies I have very much enjoyed. But in this movie, I felt that there was way too much filler until the last 15 minutes or so, the hearing, where things finally began to hold me.
I blame the script. Granted, there is not a lot to this story, but still, it could have been paced and developed much better. Why do the man and the woman leading the investigation seem so hostile, only at the end to become in awe of Sullenberger's truly remarkable achievement? We see snippets of the lives of many of the passengers, the air traffic controller, some of the rescue crew, etc., but not enough to make any of them come alive as people. Is there a story behind the co-pilot? A few characters better developed would have been more interesting, to me, that many characters just hinted at.
The acting here is all fine to very fine. But the script is not good. What material there is could have been better developed, to get us involved before that final hearing. Especially since we all know how the movie will turn out.