Captain Phillips. Jim Lovell. And now, Sully.
The Tom Hanks we all know and kinda sorta love is about to pull the real-life American hero hat trick.
In a just-released trailer, Hanks shines as the gloriously mustachioed pilot Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who landed a US Airways jet into the Hudson River back in 2009 and saved hundreds of lives. America’s most relatable leading man seems right at home here — he’s smart, steady, soft-spoken … and a bit perplexed by adulation (“I don’t feel like a hero”).
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Sully’s dramatic impact comes not just from the crash landing on water itself (spoiler alert: it works), but from the reactions after the crash, as the media hounded Sullenberger and others questioned his heroism. (“Simulations said you could make it back to the airport.” Oh really, pesky bureaucrat?).
We’ll have to see about the “untold story” aspect of the movie’s plot. But on first glance, things look good: there’s a bit of an adrenalized Flight vibe to the first trailer — minus, ahem, the coke binges — coupled with a stoic Apollo 13 heroism.
Sully opens September 9th.
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