I wasn’t sure what to expect from Clint Eastwood’s Sully, but it certainly wasn’t what ended up on the screen. Anticipating a bythe-numbers “you are there” recreation of the events of Jan. 15, 2009, in which Captain Chesley Sullenberger was forced to land his Airbus A320-214 on the surface of the Hudson River, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Eastwood and screenwriter Todd Komarnicki were committed to delving deeper into the story and all involved in this miraculous event. What emerges is not simply a portrait of a man but of a moral code that has been gradually fading over the past three decades. It is a way of life that once served as the foundation of our society, the growing absence of which has left us on shaky ground.
Eastwood wastes no time plunging us into the mental anguish felt by Sullenberger (an excellent Tom Hanks). Before the opening credits are done, we hear the sound of an aircraft in trouble, our first sight being the plane on a collision course with midtown Manhattan. Suddenly, we’re made aware this is simply a nightmare Sullenberger has been plagued with, the aftereffect of his close call. Seems he and his copilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) are being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, as these bureaucrats believe that Sullenberger could have safely gotten his aircraft back to a nearby airport and that he unnecessarily put the lives of his passengers and crew at risk. This plants a seed of doubt in Sullenberger’s mind and he begins to question his judgment.
The film’s special effects are top-notch in bringing multiple recreations of the crash to the screen. Some replay Sullenberger’s nightmare vision and some alternate “what if?” scenarios until, finally, we’re shown the definitive account at the end of the movie. These initial sequences are mostly viewed from the outside or cockpit of the plane, while the last provides a more intimate, interior look at the events and how they played out in the aircraft. This is a remarkable sequence, as Eastwood juggles the events on the plane with scenes of what was happening with the various first-responders before and during the event. None of this is rushed, but rather plays out as an informative, fascinating and wholly engaging procedural of how these events took place. In taking a less dramatic approach, Eastwood ends up underscoring the heroism at play during the crash and the 24 minutes it took to complete the rescue.
At 96 minutes, this is the shortest of Eastwood’s films. As such, its tight format helps build a sense of tension around these events, even though many of us know how the story ends. Credit Hanks for helping in this area as well, as he ably shows not just Sullenberger’s strength but also his vulnerability, giving a human element to this heroic figure that helps us realize what’s truly at stake in the film. Eckhart is equally strong, but Laura Linney is wasted as Sullenberger’s wife, while the members of the NTSB are grossly underwritten, coming off as simple villains without purpose.
Sullenberger is cut from the same cloth as the lead characters in Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino and American Sniper. He’s a man who adheres to a strict code of conduct, the foundation of which is a sense of honesty and responsibility. These things are paramount to him and have become so engrained that to not stand by your actions and be straightforward in your behavior is as foreign to him as living on the moon. That his actions and reputation are questioned is a shock to Sullenberger as the possibility of anyone in his position behaving in such a manner is inconceivable. That others call his character into question reflects how far we’ve fallen as a society. Sullenberger and his ilk have become anachronisms, figures out of step in a time of duplicity and irresponsibility. That some would want to tear down a man such as this comes not from a lack of understanding him, but rather envy over not having the courage to reach his high standards.
For reviews of The Light Between Oceans and Morgan, go to http://illinoistimes.com.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at ckoplinski@usd116.org.
