Clint Eastwood's latest film, Sully, is the story of Chesley Sullenberger, a US Airways pilot who became a national hero after performing an emergency landing on the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 crew and passengers. Clint Eastwood's film approaches the "Miracle on the Hudson" from the personal perspective of Chesley Sullenberer, telling a story of a man who was heralded by the public, but maligned internally by an unfolding investigation into the incident which threatened his entire career and reputation as a pilot. Approaching this film from a near biopic point of view, Clint Eastwood's Sully delivers an in depth portrait of an ordinary man thrust into the spotlight, documenting the weight which society as a whole can place on the individual when they are elevated above mere citizen and into herorism. From the media and public heralding Sully as a hero, to suffocating mechanization of review process that threatens his very livelihood, Sully is a character drowning under the pressures of the world around, with the two conflicting perspectives of his actions, tugging and pulling for attention in his headspace. Structurally, Sully is told through a narrative that oscillates between the near horrific events and the aftermath, depicting Sully's tortured psyche, one which routinely second guesses himself as he replays the events that day, over and over in his head. At its core, Sully is a film about the pressures of society, how ones perceived heroism can elevate the individual to uncomfortable heights. The general public and media worship Sully as a hero, praising him, wanting to spend more time with him, which leads to Sully's entire life being intruded upon, with the pressures of the internal investigation and the demands of the outside world weighing down a man who simply believes he was doing his job that he has built his life around. Clint Eastwood's Sully has its flaws, featuring some side characters that are damn near detrimental to the film's overall deconstruction of the psyche of its main protagonist. These side characters aren't cartoons, they simply feel very uninteresting and one-dimensional when compared to Sully, characters who must be documented for the sake of creating the stakes but who unfortunately feel like more of a distraction at times from Sully's more engaging, personal journey. Eastwood latest film can also feel heavy handed at times, from its message about heroism, to media ssensationalism, and governmental bureaucracy, but what keeps this film as steady as a rock is Tom Hank's tortured performance as Chesley Sullenberger, a man who is feeling tremendous pressure from the world.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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