Movies with a known ending don’t normally grip me. Like watching dominoes fall, it’s fairly predictable. They can be fun, but rarely do they challenge or move me. There are exceptions: Biblical epics, Hitler’s ‘Downfall’, film versions of Shakespeare—familiar stories with interpretations that occasionally change our preconceived ideas.
Sully is such a movie. It’s about a real event, a 208 second flight in 2009 that went horribly wrong, but turned out all right. It has the emotions of babies pulled from earthquake rubble combined with square jawed heroes who really can handle the truth. It’s Hollywood, it’s a happy ending, so it’s tripe, right? No, this film is more. It is epic! I loved it. Sully made me cry, gave me chills and had me second-guess things I have rehearsed a thousand times.
As a professional pilot, I find most films that involve an aeroplane an eye-rolling cringe. Pilots generally yell at the screen during an aviation movie, or at their wives or kids, in fact anyone in ear shot. They scream stuff like, “That won’t work!” “This can’t happen!” and “You wouldn’t do that!” Whilst there was a bit of Hollywood license in Sully, it is as good as it gets. Clint Eastwood really did make my day.
Technically, this movie is excellent. It makes me smile that some film critics found the flight deck scenes unrealistically boring and calm. I was gripped with the realistic determined calm that Tom Hanks brings. This is Hollywood not being Hollywood. It is not Harrison Ford in the Millennium Falcon with his scaredy-cat face. This is Chewy just doing his job. Cool. Professional.
Beyond the flying scenes and the “miracle on the Hudson” (spoiler alert: they all live) this movie is about people, relationships and life’s priorities. It asks the question, “what is important?” Sully is not a Christian movie. It doesn’t try to be, nor do any of the characters express much faith (except maybe the Mormon manager at the Marriott who hugs Sully and says “blessings!”).
Sully takes the familiar—a flight on a nice sunny day—and puts us in the cockpit, in the cabin, in the Air Traffic Controller’s seat and in the passenger’s seat, when things go wrong. It takes the pleasurable—the holiday, visiting friends, golfing with dad, an easy work shift for Charlotte—and gives our plans and dreams perspective. The perspective of an “I should have died” experience; a miracle. Only a few years before in NYC, people in low flying jets didn’t walk away, there was no miracle, no hugs and no thanks to the Captain. 2009 is different from 9/11.
Sully, the US Airlines Captain of the Cactus flight from Newark NY, is the 42 year veteran pilot, close to retirement, trying hard to square his financial security plans for his wife and his later-in-life kids. Sully is flying an Airbus A320, an awesomely reliable machine that flies millions of uneventful flight hours every year around the world. I have about 3000 hours in Command on this lovely little jet and thus far have loved every second.
This flight was not one of those uneventful enjoyable hours. This was a few minutes of near death that even all those hours in the simulator can not really prepare you for. The events of 15 January 2009 were like no other. A flock of big geese took out both engines, turning Airbus’s finest into a below-average glider. This is akin to taking your brand-new Lexus out for a spin only to have all four wheels fall off and the engine stop. Not a great day at the office.
Chills ran down my back as Sully calmly says “brace for impact”, as he meticulously searches the cabin as it fills with water, and as he ponders if all 155 souls on board actually got off the crippled jet. The old joke about “never travel with Tom Hanks” is alive and well, but Tom, Clint and the whole cast don’t make me scared to fly. Their professionalism actually makes me proud, it makes me reflect on how I would go.
Beyond the skills and determination, the courage and teamwork, there are many things that Sully reminded me of as a Christian professional pilot. Here are a few:
1. Hug your kids and spouse. Life is very short, embrace them every day.
2. Financial and career plans are nice, sure, but more importantly I want to live like Jesus is returning tomorrow or I’m going to meet him in the air tomorrow—perspective can keep you sharp and gospel-minded.
3. Life is beautiful, but you need to spend a bit of your time pre-briefing. The military have the rule of P’s: Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Christians should know that life will throw curve balls, sickness and ultimately death. We will all face a metaphorical flock of geese in our windscreen, our “Job-Moment”. Be the Boy Scout, be prepared, be pro-Christian. Trouble will come. We should expect it. Get ready to use your engine failure, sickness, period of unemployment, for his kingdom.
4. It’s easy to get priorities wrong. We can risk our lives at work, like Sully, to pay off a rental property that no one wants. Stay focused and know work is for a brief season. The headstone never reads: “should have spent more time at work.”
Sully faces demons of doubt in the movie over his actions and ability. The black hats of the “evil NTSB” try to pin some blame on the ageing jet pilot. Was he a hero or a villain? Could he have gotten the plane to a runway? Did the 2nd engine really fail?
The crew and passengers’ anxiety and trauma were real. I’m sure my nightmares after such an event would be the same. Self care and organisational care in such times are really important, but whatever comes our way, as Christians we should remember that our identity is not tied to the stripes on our shoulders, the title before or letters after our name. Our calling is to do our job and do it as best as we are able, but our identity? Well, that must be different from our job and needs to be tied up with Jesus.
Enjoy Sully. There is no sex and it contains very restrained language. The support characters are a bit 2D but this may have been the first time ever I’ve really felt for a young Air Traffic Controller.
If you like New York City, enjoy a bit of drama, can overlook product placement and a poor ending (the bad guys turn good far too quickly) then spend your $21 and see it on the big screen. 4 Stars.
