Sully

SULLY

Director : Clint Eastwood

Year : 2016

Genre : Drama

Rating : ***1/2

Whatever positives or flaws it may or may not ultimately have, it cannot be denied that the plot of 'Sully', the latest crowd-pleaser from director Clint Eastwood is, at the very least, utterly extraordinary. Reconstructing the events behind one of modern aviations most harrowing yet astonishing episodes as well as it's turbulent aftermath, 'Sully' (provocatively subtitled 'Miracle On The Hudson' in the UK) tells the true story of real-life hero Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger (played by Tom Hanks), the veteran American pilot who in January 2009, managed to safely land US Airways Flight 1549 on New York's Hudson River after both of it's engines were disabled by birdstrike just three minutes after takeoff from Queen's LaGuardia airport. 

Much has already been written about Hanks' terrific central performance as Sullenberger and while he has been egregiously snubbed by the Golden Globes, the talks of a potential sixth Oscar nomination are completely justified. Delivering his best on-screem work since 2013's 'Captain Phillips', Hanks embues his portrayal of Sullenberger with an earnest modesty and sincerity that is completely befitting the great man himself and while the script by Todd Komarnicki may falter at times, what remains constant throughout 'Sully' is the quality of Hanks' riveting central performance as well as Eastwoods' efficient, workman-like direction which lends awards-friendly gravitas to the proceedings. 

But while the show-stopping crash scenes are suitably intense and shot with the same flair yet subdued dignity that Eastwood is renowned for, things don't work out quite so well when it comes to the secondary story - that being of the subsequent investigation of Sully by the somewhat demonised National Transportation Safety Board who cast doubts upon his actions and which lends the movie an almost pantomimetic 'good guy vs. bad guy' vibe. Not to mention a couple of rather pointless flashback scenes which while shot beautifully, add little to nothing to the overall narrative.

However, despite these admittedly few yet noticeable detractions, at 96 minutes, 'Sully' is still a well made, wonderfully acted and emotionally stirring high-flying tribute to a man who didn't plan on changing the world but inadvertently did through unparalleled heroism and conscious-cleansing selflessness - cleansing summed up in one piece of beautifully poetic dialogue, "It's about time New York had some good news. Especially involving a plane".