Needless to say, expectations and excitements for a film starring Tom Hanks, directed by Clint Eastwood definitely soar high above the blue sky, even when it is about a successful plane crash!
In this emotionally glomming drama, the conflicts & dilemmas are strong! Whenever you look at Sully (Tom Hanks), you are automatically posited in his state of mind. Was he right when he took the call? Could he be wrong? This bothersome nervousness brews an extremely tight tension that catapults the entire motion picture!
Of course, the above is only possible by the legendary thespian's right acting performance! The word 'right' is used here because the man knew how to proportionate his gestures, emotions, speech & inner thoughts. The way he twitches his fingers out of anxiety during a TV interview & the moment when he tears up after coming to know that all 155 passengers survived are prime testimonies! Only an actor knows how tough it is make the audiences feel what he or she is going through!
The arrangement of sequences in the screenplay is openly arguable. Although at most parts it looks random, the suspense hold nevertheless. With a high-strung airplane mishap intro, the makers are smart at the same time to not reveal the actual incident that quick! Showing it at the apt minute jolts the adrenaline! Covering a single incident gradually from every points of views is brilliant too. NTSB's interrogations, simulation practices for proof & Hudson river landing are some of the best scenes to be witnessed on silver screens!
Also, Sully is a simple yet intelligent movie. It communicates to us via to-the-point dialogues, by shredding off most technical terms and putting it on a layman's plate. Thus, when the 'human factor' arrives as a neglected piece of information, we could all easily understand & relate to it!
On the dipside, few of the cuts are too fast. The rescue mission is a little boring & the young flashback is unneeded. Some of the side characters and their mini storylines are unnecessary yet unavoidable to prevent dullness. Birds hitting the plane looked a bit cartoony.
"A delay is better than a disaster."