What a way to kick off the 2016 Fall Movie Season!
SULLY is Hollywood’s dream pairing, making for a potential Oscar contender.
Tom Hanks, coming off BRIDGE OF SPIES and CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, now taking the starring role of veteran pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger who on a cold January 15, 2009 successfully landed his crippled twin engine Airbus 320 jet in the Hudson River.
Sullenberger’s incredible true events story is now brought to the screen by master storyteller (as well as director and producer) Clint Eastwood—-his follow-up to AMERICAN SNIPER.
This is a story you only THOUGHT you knew!
The USAirways flight routinely lifted off from LaGuardia airport in New York City.
However just four minutes into the flight, after being hit by a major bird strike, both of the plane’s engines went out.
Now what?
With only seconds to decide whether to return to LaGuardia, or try to make it to an even closer landing strip, Sullenberger did the unthinkable by going for an unprecedented water landing and successfully evacuating 155 passengers and crew from the quickly sinking aircraft.
Hence, the Miracle on the Hudson.
But that’s only part of the story!
Matter of fact, the actual spectacular emergency landing doesn’t occur until about half way into the movie.
Eastwood’s film making skills lead up to the remarkable moment in more ways than I want to give away here.
What follows is the fascinating back story that was pretty well left out of the media’s reporting.
Primarily Sully’s personal life. His nightmares. His employer USAirways and their insurance carrier.
But first and foremost it was the grilling N.T.S.B. investigation which questioned Sullenberger’s decision to land the jet on the Hudson when all of their simulators showed that he could have made it back to LaGuardia.
His reputation and ultimate pension would depend on the investigation’s outcome.
In Sully’s own words, “This was not a crash. This was a ditch!”
For the filming of this biopic Clint Eastwood used actual digital IMAX cameras resulting in spectacular definition no matter which format you see the movie in.
So is Sullenberger an American hero?
YOU be the judge after seeing this gripping bio drama.
If there’s one problem I have with the film, it’s the September 9 release date chosen by the studio.
Why you ask?
Because the weekend following Labor Day is traditionally one of the worst when it comes to moviegoing in the United States.
It’s the start-up of the NFL season, college football, school—just so many distractions. So that’s unfortunate.
However this picture is strong enough to overcome these obstacles.
Great word of mouth should keep it on screens for weeks to come.
SULLY opens citywide as the 2016 Oscar season begins in earnest.
My rating: A.
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings at 7:40 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. during Kansas City’s Morning News on 98.1 FM, KMBZ.
Love this, because previously, the untold story I DID know was all I knew!
I can only imagine what incredible scrutiny the guy went through… should be a gripping story and eastwood knows how to turn screws and ratchet up the tension. he’s become a helluva director.