Sully

One of the most iconic actors, and directors that have always deliver solid quality films ( for the most part ), is the legend known as Clint Eastwood. From his early days in Hollywood, you could tell there was something special about him. His western films will always be some of the best film of this genre, especially his collaboration with legendary director Sergio Leone. As the 70´s kicked in, we got ourselves a new iconic character, known as Dirty Harry. The first film from 1971, is still today one of the best action films of the 70´s. Clint Eastwood´s rough language and bad temper, was just what the character of Dirty Harry needed. Dirty Harry continued his rampage in a number of films, and most of them were really good. But Clint Eastwood wanted to do so much more, than just action films. And i think he have managed to prove himself, especially in the films he have directed. One of my personal favourite films, that Clint Eastwood have directed, is without a doubt Million Dollar Baby. This film is one of those i can watch over and over again, and still enjoy it just as much as the first time i saw it. The story of a boxing trainer, who refuse to train a waitress called Maggie ( brilliantly played by Hillary Swift ), is a very powerful film. I am so pleased that Million Dollar Baby won 4 Academy Awards, especially for Best Picture in 2005. Clint continued to make many more great films, i should mention his very powerful film Mystic River. We could probably count in a lot of more titles, that so many people love. But i feel that we should talk about Gran Torino. Released in 2008, this was supposed to be the final film where Clint Eastwood made as an actor, but that did not turn out to be true. Still a really good film, with a lot of important issues between imagrants and american citizens. Do any of you rememeber the story of  Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who saved all people on a plane on January 15, 2009 ? This became national news, and i did hear it on tv news casts on many channels. Captain Cesley became a hero, and many civilians were so happy that he managed to get the passengers into safety. Of course, some people were curious to see if Chesley was the reason the plane crashed. Clint Eastwood decided to make a film, based on this historical event, and in the lead role we see Tom Hanks as Chesley Sullenberger. With a team of legends like this, in a very fascinating story, do we have another classic from director Clint Eastwood, or should someone else have taken this project instead ?

On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley " Sully " Sullenberger ( Tom Hanks ), had to land on The Hudson River in New York, after the Airbus A320 strikes a flock of Canada geese, disabling both engines. All the passanegers manage to survive, but an investigation begins by the NTSB ( National Transportation Safety Board ) to see if Sully is responsible of the crash, or if he made the wrong choice. Sullys co pilot Jeffrey " Jeff " Skiles witnessed everything that Sully did, and he knows that Sully did not cause the crash. This is the start of a long journey, where Sully have to prove his innocence. Did he act correctly, or should he have handled this situation differently ?

Knowing that this film is based on a true story, you know it is hard not to be interested. This difficult landing could have gone terribly wrong, unless Chesley Sullenberger did what he had to do. Just imagine if he did not go into the Hudson River, everyone could have been dead. You get a sense that Chesley is a nice man, and he wants to do things right. Knowing the way he was treated by certain people, even though he saved all those people´s lives, is just awful. I can understand that you have to do a very big investigation, about what happened with the plane, and if the airpilots did the right choice. But it is clear that Chesley was not treated respectfully. Tom Hanks in the lead role, manage to make his portrait of Chesley Sullenberger feel realistic. His natural way to portrait people, and that shows in this film. We follow the story from what happened that day, when Captain Chesley Sullenberger and Jeff Skilles were flying the plane, before landing on the Hudson River. The biggest strength of the film Sully, is that it is easy to dig into this film, because it is both well made, and the acting holds good performances, both from Laura Linney and Aaron Eckhart ( remember his performance in I, Frankenstein ? ) Clint Eastwood have always been a good story teller, and there is of course no change here in Sully. We get a glimpse of how Sully fights, to make sure that he is not hold responsible for this accident, and we also get to see images of the crash. The films jumps between different time periods, but it does not become a problem. My only problem with the film Sully, is that it does not feel as powerful as many of Clint Eastwoods films from the past. He have made so many wonderful films, that you will never forget. Sully feels a bit too light, and not one of the films you will think of while talking about Clint Eastwood. With that said, this is still a well made film, and you feel curious about the case. The scenes where Sully is being questioned, about his health condition while he flied that day, gives you a glimpse of how hard it must be in his situation. Sully does not lift to the high level as Mystic River, or Million Dollar Baby, as i would have wanted this film to do. I still feel that you should see Sully for another reason, get your own opinion on this case, and understand the situation surrounding the case. Tom Hanks knows what he is doing, and i think he manage to make this film what it is, a solid drama with a very important story to tell. I feel like going on a flight now, and my coffee thermoses are coming along, just in case we land somewhere unexpected.

Rating: DDD