Directed by Clint Eastwood
Written by Todd Komarnicki, based on the book “Highest Duty” by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow
Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Valerie Mahaffey, Mike O’Malley, Jamey Sheridan, Anna Gunn, Holt McCallany, Chris Bauer, Ann Cusack, Sam Huntington, Jeffrey Nordling, Michael Rapaport, E. Roger Mitchell, Pascal Yen-Pfister
Soundtrack: Christian Jacob and the Tierney Sutton Band
Almost immediately, this film raises the question, “Is it appropriate to release a movie featuring sequences of a plane crashing into New York City on the weekend of the 15th anniversary of 9/11?”
The answer is most definitely, “No.” (Although, much like 9/11, I remember exactly where I was on January 15, 2009)
Of course, in reality, Flight 1549 was successfully landed on the Hudson River with zero loss of life, but the movie features some nightmare sequences in which our heroes are unsuccessful, leading to some questionable imagery.
Despite this, I’m going to say that ‘Sully’ is worth seeing overall, but it’s pretty far from a must-see, because I have some problems (and, let me tell you, seeing it in IMAX doesn’t really add anything either).
Perhaps the most frustrating element of the film is the story structure and, in turn, how it’s edited. I’m not saying every movie (especially based-on-a-true-story types) needs to be a slave to chronology, but much of the time-shifting in ‘Sully’ is ridiculous. On multiple occasions, the movie would come back from a flashback that went on so long I forgot it was a flashback. Also, I wish the movie would have just picked its spot to show the incident as a whole, rather than showing some here, some there, and then going over it a couple more times; maybe show it at the beginning in “Hollywood time” and at the end in real time, but what do I know?
In addition, as much as there are good performances from the leads (Aaron Eckhart’s mustache is perfect) and most of the supporting roles (Mike O’Malley’s best work?), many of the ancillary performances took me out of the movie; whether this is a result of bad acting, bad direction, or simply bad dialogue, I don’t know, but it’s definitely a detriment. I would’ve thought a movie like this would have put a priority on making everyone feel as real as possible, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
All in all though, ‘Sully’ is a story worth telling, even if the movie doesn’t quite match the magnitude of the real life event. It sheds light on many unsung heroes, but also deals with the issue of instant celebrity for those not even seeking it.
Worth a matinee, but that’s about it.
Rating: ★★★☆☆