At 96 minutes, Sully is not a long movie by any stretch of imagination. The event on which it is based on - the miracle on the Hudson - took place in 208 seconds. So the adaptation is almost 28 times longer than the source. What I am trying to say is that at even 96 minutes, Sully (2016) had some fluff which needed to be cut out; the phone conversations between Sully and his wife were cringeworthy, and if I am not mistaken, the movie showed the crash landing maybe five times (at least three times more than we needed)! In short, I believe Clint Eastwood (the director) could have cut to movie to 70 minutes and still hit all the notes! Of course, nobody would go to the movie theatres to see a 70-minute movie - so maybe he had no choice but to fill it with fluff!
Having said the negatives, Clint Eastwood captured the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cabin really well. The evacuation scene was also shot beautifully. I felt I was there, and it made me nauseous! In addition to direction, Tom Hanks needs to be commended on his performance. I felt he really was a pilot in real life.
I have seen Captain Sullenberger's interviews on talk shows. He is a modest man and has a charming personality (which I didn't see in Hank's performance, but maybe the real Sully was as tense after the event...). Captain Sullenberger, in addition to telling the story of his miraculous landing, also likes to shine light on the humanity of the New Yorkers int he aftermath of the event. The movie tried to do that too, but most of the focus was on trying to vilify the aviation committee - Clint Eastwood tried to turn the aftermath into a courtroom drama, rather than humans helping their own kind!
When I left the movie theatre, I didn't learn anything new, and I didn't have a positive/enjoyable experience! Overall, I'd give it a 4/10.
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