Sully - directed by Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood to me (like for many) is a legend.
As an actor he needs know introduction and of course as a director he is not exactly poorly regarded.
But even as a fan I have to confess that his directing efforts over the years have been uneven.
When he's good he is great but it seems to happen only one in four or five movies.
For every "Unforgiven", "High Plains Drifter", "American Sniper", "Changeling" and "Million Dollar Baby" we get a "Blood Work", "True Crime", "Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil" and so on.... Not bad movies by any stretch of the imagination but just not overly memorable.
Workmanlike is perhaps the diplomatic way of describing Eastwood's direction in these movies.
With "Sully" he has turned out what is perhaps his strongest directing effort yet - certainly since "Million Dollar Baby".
"Sully" is a director's picture.
Eastwood's decision making is all over this thing.
Of course Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart turn in wonderful performances but the taut, controlled direction, tight editing and perfect pacing is all Eastwood.
In early 2009 United Airlines flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York bound for Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
A couple of minutes into the flight a flock of geese struck the aircraft disabling both engines and forcing the pilot Chesley Sullenberger to land the Airbus A320 on the Hudson River.
I say ON intentionally - Sully as he is known put the passenger jet safely on the water without the loss of a sngle one of the 155 people onboard.
The jet stayed flat and afloat long enough for fast acting emergency services to pluck everyone off and take them to warmth and safety.
It became known as The Miracle On the Hudson.
Now as amazing an event as this was a movie about merely the event wouldn't actually be very compelling.
This is a very famous event (and justifiably so) and everyone knows how it played out.
Adapting Sully's autobiographical book 'Highest Duty' screenwriter Todd Komarnicki gives us plenty of the incident itself but wisely focuses mainly on the events right after it as the investigation turns to whether Sully made the right choice in ditching the jet in the river as opposed to turning back to the airport.
The film becomes a study of Sully as we see him doubt himself even as many around him vaunt him as a hero and miracle worker.
I fully expect Tom Hanks to get an Oscar nomination for this performance as Sully.
As famous as Hanks is I honestly stopped registering him as Hanks very soon into the movie.
It's a beautifully subtle performance.
Early on we see the final minutes of flight 1549 but it plays out very differently from how we think.
It is a recollection of sorts by Sully and the first reveal that he is not completely sure of what had happened and his role in it.
Sully has frequent, albeit brief phone conversations with his wife (played by Laura Linney) during which much of his doubt and fear becomes clear.
He is under investigation and it seems that the National Transport Safety Board is looking to blame him for making a poor decision.
He could have landed the Airbus safely back at the airport they say and they have flight data and simulations to prove it.
Hanks brilliantly conveys a man of great skill, experience and confidence beginning to question himself.
He seems completely baffled when a makeup girl prepping him for a tv interview kisses him and when a woman at the hotel he and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Eckhart) are staying at suddenly hugs him.
He was just doing his job as far as he was concerned.
I didn't try to count it out but I suspect that this movie is split about 50/50 between the flight 1549 incident itself and events either side so we have a lot of time to see Sully on the job.
A note about the flight scenes..... they are stunning.
The visual effects and sound design in this film are incredibly well done.
The production budget is reportedly $60,000,000 and every single penny is up on the screen.
A huge boon to the impact that the film has (and that word 'impact' is one that I will come back to) is the use of IMAX cameras to shoot the whole thing.
That wonderful full frame IMAX image stays large and full for the entire film.
Even Christopher Nolan - the most famous advocate of the format hasn't managed to shoot an entire film in IMAX.
Eastwood has delivered the absolute finest evidence that this is a great format to shoot feature length films in.
It's no surprise that the flight scenes are incredible, exciting and impactful on the large screen but IMAX proves to be a fine choice even for the scenes set in rooms where the incident is studied and debated.
Yes- people in suits arguing look good in IMAX!
One thing that could have destroyed a film like "Sully" is a crippling running time but at a lean 96 minutes (including end credits that show the real people) Eastwood and editor Tom Stern keep things belting along until the exciting and satisfying ending.
I cannot think of a single thing that could have been cut out and it is hard to imagine anything that is absent that should have been included.
The best indication of this is that I sat riveted for the entire running time and wasn't just sitting waiting for the next flight scenes to come along.
As exciting and supremely well constructed as they are the drama on the ground is every bit as compelling.
I find it hard to fault "Sully".
It is a character study, an exciting drama and a fascinating insight into air accident investigations.
There isn't a flat moment and this film is that rare, rare thing - a piece of work that makes you wish it was longer even while you appreciate how tightly controlled and edited it is.
I have deliberately resisted revealing too much about the structure of the film as one of the pleasures in this movie is seeing how it plays out.
It really is wonderfully directed, shot and edited.
This is almost certainly Eastwood's most technically accomplished film as director to date.
RATING: 85 / 100
CONCLUSION: An exciting character study that expertly weaves the events of January 15th, 2009 around the man at the centre of it. A stunning lesson in tight editing and as compelling an argument for IMAX shot features as I have ever seen.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley, Jamey Sheridan, Anna Gunn, Ann Cusack, Holt McCallany, Valerie Mahaffey, Delphi Harrington, Jeff Kober, Molly Hagan, Max Adler, Sam Huntington, Christopher Curry, Michael Rapaport, Jerry Ferrara
Screenplay: Todd Komarnicki
Music Score by: Christian Jacob & Tierney Sutton Band
Cinematography: Tom Stern
Cinematography: Tom Stern
Edited by: Blu Murray
Running Time: 96 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Infrequent profanity
Running Time: 96 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Infrequent profanity
Clint Eastwood to me (like for many) is a legend.
As an actor he needs know introduction and of course as a director he is not exactly poorly regarded.
But even as a fan I have to confess that his directing efforts over the years have been uneven.
When he's good he is great but it seems to happen only one in four or five movies.
For every "Unforgiven", "High Plains Drifter", "American Sniper", "Changeling" and "Million Dollar Baby" we get a "Blood Work", "True Crime", "Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil" and so on.... Not bad movies by any stretch of the imagination but just not overly memorable.
Workmanlike is perhaps the diplomatic way of describing Eastwood's direction in these movies.
With "Sully" he has turned out what is perhaps his strongest directing effort yet - certainly since "Million Dollar Baby".
"Sully" is a director's picture.
Eastwood's decision making is all over this thing.
Of course Tom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart turn in wonderful performances but the taut, controlled direction, tight editing and perfect pacing is all Eastwood.
In early 2009 United Airlines flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York bound for Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
A couple of minutes into the flight a flock of geese struck the aircraft disabling both engines and forcing the pilot Chesley Sullenberger to land the Airbus A320 on the Hudson River.
I say ON intentionally - Sully as he is known put the passenger jet safely on the water without the loss of a sngle one of the 155 people onboard.
The jet stayed flat and afloat long enough for fast acting emergency services to pluck everyone off and take them to warmth and safety.
It became known as The Miracle On the Hudson.
Now as amazing an event as this was a movie about merely the event wouldn't actually be very compelling.
This is a very famous event (and justifiably so) and everyone knows how it played out.
Adapting Sully's autobiographical book 'Highest Duty' screenwriter Todd Komarnicki gives us plenty of the incident itself but wisely focuses mainly on the events right after it as the investigation turns to whether Sully made the right choice in ditching the jet in the river as opposed to turning back to the airport.
The film becomes a study of Sully as we see him doubt himself even as many around him vaunt him as a hero and miracle worker.
 |
| Eckhart and Hanks are superb and the scenes of flight 1549 are perfectly reproduced |
As famous as Hanks is I honestly stopped registering him as Hanks very soon into the movie.
It's a beautifully subtle performance.
Early on we see the final minutes of flight 1549 but it plays out very differently from how we think.
It is a recollection of sorts by Sully and the first reveal that he is not completely sure of what had happened and his role in it.
Sully has frequent, albeit brief phone conversations with his wife (played by Laura Linney) during which much of his doubt and fear becomes clear.
He is under investigation and it seems that the National Transport Safety Board is looking to blame him for making a poor decision.
He could have landed the Airbus safely back at the airport they say and they have flight data and simulations to prove it.
Hanks brilliantly conveys a man of great skill, experience and confidence beginning to question himself.
He seems completely baffled when a makeup girl prepping him for a tv interview kisses him and when a woman at the hotel he and co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Eckhart) are staying at suddenly hugs him.
He was just doing his job as far as he was concerned.
I didn't try to count it out but I suspect that this movie is split about 50/50 between the flight 1549 incident itself and events either side so we have a lot of time to see Sully on the job.
A note about the flight scenes..... they are stunning.
The visual effects and sound design in this film are incredibly well done.
The production budget is reportedly $60,000,000 and every single penny is up on the screen.
A huge boon to the impact that the film has (and that word 'impact' is one that I will come back to) is the use of IMAX cameras to shoot the whole thing.
That wonderful full frame IMAX image stays large and full for the entire film.
Even Christopher Nolan - the most famous advocate of the format hasn't managed to shoot an entire film in IMAX.
Eastwood has delivered the absolute finest evidence that this is a great format to shoot feature length films in.
It's no surprise that the flight scenes are incredible, exciting and impactful on the large screen but IMAX proves to be a fine choice even for the scenes set in rooms where the incident is studied and debated.
Yes- people in suits arguing look good in IMAX!
 |
| Eastwood with Hanks and far right- the real Sully |
I cannot think of a single thing that could have been cut out and it is hard to imagine anything that is absent that should have been included.
The best indication of this is that I sat riveted for the entire running time and wasn't just sitting waiting for the next flight scenes to come along.
As exciting and supremely well constructed as they are the drama on the ground is every bit as compelling.
I find it hard to fault "Sully".
It is a character study, an exciting drama and a fascinating insight into air accident investigations.
There isn't a flat moment and this film is that rare, rare thing - a piece of work that makes you wish it was longer even while you appreciate how tightly controlled and edited it is.
I have deliberately resisted revealing too much about the structure of the film as one of the pleasures in this movie is seeing how it plays out.
It really is wonderfully directed, shot and edited.
This is almost certainly Eastwood's most technically accomplished film as director to date.
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