The true story of a pilot safely landing a plane on the Hudson River is remarkable, making it all the more frustrating that “Sully” is as boring as a 10-hour flight.
What happens?
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) must answer to investigators after he successfully lands his nonfunctioning plane on the Hudson River, delivering 155 people to safety. Computer simulations suggest that he could have made it back to LaGuardia Airport without damaging the plane, calling Sully’s decision-making into question.
What’s good?
Hanks plays Sully earnestly and with humility, giving a sense of humanity to a character written a little too perfectly. Director Clint Eastwood takes a no-frills approach as usual, and there’s nothing flashy about his serviceable treatment of the story, although watching the plane hit the water does inspire a sense of awe.
What’s bad?
There’s a story here, but “Sully” has no idea how to tell it. Todd Komarnicki’s script begins after the crash, alerting us to everyone’s survival (in case you don’t remember from the news in 2009), effectively removing all tension when we watch the crash happen not once but twice later in the film. Has Sully been drinking, or doing drugs, or having problems at home? No. Well, maybe there are problems at home, except—nope, never mind. No problems at all.
Sully brushes off the idea of therapy even though he’s clearly struggling with PTSD, but the film gives that reality no weight at all. It would rather indulge in brief, pointless flashbacks to when Sully was a young pilot, or have us sit through four simulations of the flight in a public hearing, or listen to him have the same phone conversation with his wife over and over again. There’s plenty of material for a story here, but Eastwood and Komarnicki refuse to construct one. Clearly neither had any interest in offering deeper insights on this familiar headline.
Final verdict
“Sully” is a meaningless, toothless waste of 96 minutes—a shame when you consider how inspiring the original 208 seconds must have been.
1.5 stars (out of four)
@lchval | laurenchval@redeyechicago.com
