Sully - Film Review

Post

Subscribe

We all remember the so called "Miracle on the Hudson", when in 2009, on a cold January day, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberg landed his US Airways jet with 155 passengers on board in the Hudson River. We remember the images across our TV screens of passengers standing on the wings of the plane and waiting for NYC rescue services which had sprung into action immediately following the landing.



Now, the film Sully, starring Tom Hanks and under the direction of Clint Eastwood, is showing in cinemas. Even though we know the basic details of the story, especially the fact that all 155 passengers were safely rescued off the plane with a few out of the freezing water as well, the film gives us new insights into the event and heightens our admiration for Sully. Through the film we begin to understand the details of the unbelievably tense, scary 208 minute landing - from the time of the bird strike to the actual landing on the river. We can also only admire the skills, talent and experience of Captain Sullenberg; this was no "miracle', it was a carefully thought out response to an emergency and is portrayed with emphasis on the importance of human capability and decision-making, as opposed to computer simulations (which play an important role in the film).

We can only shake our heads in disbelief at the bureaucratic approach of the investigation that followed this event and we become emotionally connected to Sully, his first officer and the crew who are all portrayed as true professionals with the utmost intent of getting their passengers safely off the plane.

Through the capable direction of Clint Eastwood, the film allows us to see the event from different perspectives of time but also of from other perspectives too, from flashbacks and TV reportage . The film is a tribute to the man who, through his decisions, averted a major disaster and thus saved the lives of all of the 155 passengers on board, yet a man who refuses to see himself a hero. In his eyes he was just doing his job.
Well worth seeing. Sully - the official trailer

#film_reviews
%wneverywhere