Film No. 57 (2016) September 17th. 12.50 PM LUNA Paradiso, Northbridge.
"The Miracle on the Hudson; it was a good omen during a challenging period". (Clint Eastwood describes the event as it stood in U.S. history during a promotional discussion).
The Miracle on the Hudson is a simple phrase which nearly has us recalling where we were when Captain Chesley Sullenberger force landed his Air America passenger jet into the Hudson River on January 15th 2009. I say nearly because it didn't have quite the world impact of 9/11 but the images of the passengers standing on the plane's wings centimetres above the freezing New York waters, in the minds of most, has left an indelible imprint.
Because we know the story my first thoughts, when viewing the trailer, were, maybe I won't bother. Well, I did and I'm glad I did. Clint Eastwood has captured this legendary event with clinical precision and in typical Eastwood style it's all about the human face with just a smattering "poetic licence".
At 86, Eastwood is leaving an outstanding legacy. Tom Hanks (Sullenberger) is directed, believe it or not, for the first time by Clint; Tom has described his experience as astounding. To watch the "crash" from varying POV's to punctuate the relevance for each scene ranging from Sully's flashbacks to the investigative enquiry is very convincing. Aaron Eckhart plays Sully's co-pilot Jeff Skiles with an assurance that convinces us we'd all like him by our side in a decision making event of the split second kind. The Sully / Skiles team is a key ingredient in this relatively short feature for Eastwood.
The "poetic licence" comes in his depicttion of the three investigators. One woman (Anna Gunn) and two men (Mike O'Malley and Jamey Sheridan) had a job to do, to protect the safety of all who fly. They are depicted more as protectors of the corporate world by Eastwood. Clint has infiltrated "his baddies" to up the tension; it does work to a point but from my reading of events it wasn't how it unfolded. Sully was and has been a hero from the time those geese first inadvertently flew into the the engines of Flight 1549. Sully isn't a classic but unlike the engines of the A320 airbus spluttering out feathers it's a finely tuned 93 minutes of entertainment. 10GUMS.
At 86, Eastwood is leaving an outstanding legacy. Tom Hanks (Sullenberger) is directed, believe it or not, for the first time by Clint; Tom has described his experience as astounding. To watch the "crash" from varying POV's to punctuate the relevance for each scene ranging from Sully's flashbacks to the investigative enquiry is very convincing. Aaron Eckhart plays Sully's co-pilot Jeff Skiles with an assurance that convinces us we'd all like him by our side in a decision making event of the split second kind. The Sully / Skiles team is a key ingredient in this relatively short feature for Eastwood.
The "poetic licence" comes in his depicttion of the three investigators. One woman (Anna Gunn) and two men (Mike O'Malley and Jamey Sheridan) had a job to do, to protect the safety of all who fly. They are depicted more as protectors of the corporate world by Eastwood. Clint has infiltrated "his baddies" to up the tension; it does work to a point but from my reading of events it wasn't how it unfolded. Sully was and has been a hero from the time those geese first inadvertently flew into the the engines of Flight 1549. Sully isn't a classic but unlike the engines of the A320 airbus spluttering out feathers it's a finely tuned 93 minutes of entertainment. 10GUMS.
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