100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 138: Sully

Director: Clint Eastwood
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 96 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laure Linney, Jerry Ferrara, Ann Cusack

Description: The story of Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), an American pilot who became a hero after landing his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew.

Review: On January 15th 2009, pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger landed an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River, in order to save his passengers and crew. Because of this act, he saved 155 people and Sully became famous instantly. The fact that the airplane was only in the air for three and a half minutes before the engines stopped working, you ask yourself how a ninety minute movie will captivate you. But the movie does it.
After “J. Edgar” and “American Sniper”, that weren’t that inpressive, director Clint Eastwood decided to turn the autobiographical book “Highest Duty” into a movie. With Tom Hanks as the leading man, who portrayed excisting characters before, it just had to work. And it did, because Hanks carries this movie like no other actor could.
The biggest moment in this movie is the landing itself and Eastwood knows that. It’s and exciting moment and we actually get to see it a couple of times. You really feel with Sully and care for him. But not so much for the passengers on the crew. Eastwood tried to, but the focus is on Sully and not the passengers. That way you don’t really care about any of the other passengers on the airplane, except for Sully and his co-pilot.
The entire film screams hero, how heroic Sully is. Normally it bothers me in movies, but in “Sully” it didn’t. Tom Hanks is probably the main reason for that, because as always his performance is fantastic.

Rating: 4/ 5