SULLY – Rated PG-13

SULLY – Rated PG-13 – 1 hr. 35 min.

Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney and Mike O’Malley

“I’ve delivered a million passengers over the last 40 years, but in the end, I’m going to be judged on 208 seconds…”

Based on the true story of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 – his MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON landing – and the aftermath Sullenberger had to face the hands of our FAA – THIS IS SULLY!

Having flown aircrafts all his life, we meet Chesley Sullenberger “SULLY” (Tom Hanks), in the aftermath following his heroic piloting of US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 safely into the Hudson River.

Facing the split second decisions he had to make in saving his aircraft, and ALL of its passengers, Sully, and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) are now trying to come to terms with their instant notoriety. As they are being hailed as HEROES in the public eye, the FAA investigates their decision not to return to LaGuardia, and to land their aircraft into the freezing water of the Hudson on January 15, 2009.

Due to the stress brought on by the FAA investigation, Sully begins to question his handling of the situation on that fateful day, even though the passengers whose lives he saved, and the American people still consider him a True American Hero in every way…

I give SULLY a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN ~ If you want a “True American Story” told as it should be, then put Eastwood at the helm of the film and get out of his way, as he has brought another true gem of a tale to theaters this weekend! Get ready for all the buzz that will be surrounding this film too at Oscar time, as SULLY is definitely headed in that direction and in more than one category too! Hanks gives yet another Oscar worthy performance as Sully, playing the confident captain and pilot one minute and the distraught human the next, questioning his decisions, right along with the FAA. And the most amazing part of this performance is you don’t even see Hanks on the screen, as his portrayal of SULLY is one of his most astounding performances yet. Eckhart is fabulous too as Sully’s co-pilot and friend, and Linney gives a very convincing performance as well as Sully’s wife Lorraine, fighting to stay calm in the aftermath of her husband’s heroic deed. And once you get past the incredible performances throughout this film, the cinematography in SULLY is just as breathtaking. It’s as if you in a seat on US Airways Flight 1549 throughout the entire ordeal. I actually got goose bumps watching it all play out on screen, as I don’t usually enjoy flying, so I gasped in the midst of all the realism that really touched home for me. I also need to share too, that there are a couple scenes that might be too close to home for some viewers, as airplanes hitting buildings in New York isn’t something many of us want to experience again, even if its in a movie, especially this close to the anniversary of 911. But even with those unsettling scenes, the way that Eastwood also portrays the importance of the Water Patrol and Emergency Response men and women, who did their jobs perfectly on that fateful day, adding to the heroics playing out on screen twofold. Mark my words, SULLY is definitely a MUST SEE for everyone over that age of 13 this weekend, as it’s another masterpiece of compelling drama and real-life story telling, as only Clint Eastwood could convey it…

Kathy Kaiser