Sully

is a dramatization of the 2009 "Miracle On the Hudson," in which pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed an airliner, whose engines were dead from birds flying into them, on the Hudson river and saved the lives of all 155 people on board.  I've wanted to see it since it came out, and tonight I finally had the chance.

I loved it, though not without some reservations.

All the actors turn in strong performances within the limits of the roles they have, but of course Tom Hanks in the title role shines.  It's a perfect match for him, and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job with the character.

Director Clint Eastwood assembled a note-perfect film and created a bad guy, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), where real life didn't offer one.  (From the quick online scan I did, the real NTSB folks were nowhere near as mean; they were just good people doing their jobs.)

The movie's greatest joy, though, comes from the pleasure of watching competent, intelligent people do their jobs under stress competently and intelligently.  Making the NTSB question their handling of the situation only made you cheer for them more.

What reservations I have come from the handling of the NTSB and from a few scenes in which the angst was just too much.

Overall, though, it was a gripping, upbeat movie that made you want to cheer for all the main characters and for the host of minor characters representing the many New Yorkers who responded to the water landing and helped make sure everyone made it home.

Go see Sully before it leaves the theaters.