‘Sully’ captures daring landing on screen

Sully, a film directed by Clint Eastwood, puts viewers in the shoes of the pilots and passengers on Flight 1549 that lost both engines on Jan. 15, 2009 after hitting a flock of birds seconds after liftoff. The film shows the daring feat of Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) when he successfully pulled off an emergency landing in New York’s Hudson River. But the struggle didn’t end there for Sully and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart).

Clearly, Clint Eastwood has continued his award-nominated director streak. Eastwood’s movie “American Sniper” was nominated for multiple Oscars and this film is just as worthy.

The film gives audiences multiple points of perspective as the plane attempts its landing. Viewers see through the eyes of the passengers, the pilots, and the ones who helped rescue those in the plane as it floated in the freezing waters of the Hudson River in the dead of winter. The camera stays low so audiences feel just as scared as those in the landing. The impact upon crashing into the water leaves a sound that shakes the chairs. And the panting from those swimming makes audiences feel the intense cold filling their bodies, giving them goosebumps. The metal of the plane rips off and it’s likely to keep everyone biting their nails through times of panic, even though they know the end result.

The film also lets you see into the mind of Capt. Sully as he suffers from scars left from the ordeal. He asks himself what could have happened if he tried to turn around and land on the runway, which differs from the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) beliefs.

While Capt. Sully may be praised by the public as a hero for achieving such a daring move, the NTSB believed he could have made it back to an airport without putting 155 souls in danger. The NTSB claimed the left engine stayed functional while Capt. Sully swears it went idle. Both he and his Co-Pilot have to find a way to prove the Hudson was the safest option. Capt. Sully attempts to be an optimist, but with the board it’s hard to be.

Sully’s plot is backed up from true events, and has amazing acting to bring this ordeal to life. Starring Tom Hanks, it’s almost a guarantee if the plot of the film doesn’t please audiences, his acting will. Hanks portrays a believable representation of Capt. Sully as he shares the raw emotion of PTSD from the events.

The supporting actors are also good . Aaron Eckhart, who has been in movies such as “The Dark Knight”, does a great job at playing Sullivan’s co-pilot, Jeff Skiles. He provides a more relatable character in the cockpit as an observer.

The biggest flaw of Sully is the pacing.  Even with the multiple iterations of the emergency landing, the film can often times slow down, making it feel longer than the 90-minute run time. While Hanks and Eckhart give great performances, the rest of the characters have barely enough development to even be considered characters.

In the end, Sully leaves audiences mostly entertained. The landing keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat. feeling the thunderous crash of the water as it hit the under belly of the plane. In the end, with its flaws, I will give Sully an 8/10.