Tom Hanks stars in the intense biographical drama 'Sully'; a re-telling of the famous Miracle on the Hudson, whereby an experienced pilot was forced to land his plane in the river when both engines failed minutes after take-off. Directed by Clint Eastwood, this a story the world needs to hear.

Tom Hanks and Aaron EckhartTom Hanks and Aaron Eckhart star in 'Sully'

Hanks has become something of an expert in dramatic biopics over the last few years, starring as American lawyer James B. Donovan in 'Bridge Of Spies', Walt Disney in 'Saving Mr. Banks' and Captain Phillips in the film of the same name. Now he takes on the role of another captain, former airline pilot Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, who was responsible for saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew members on the US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15th 2009. 

Directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood and written by Todd Komarnicki ('Perfect Stranger'), the film is based on Sully's autobiography 'Highest Duty' which tells the story of the most terrifying flight experience of his 40-year career. 

When Sully and his First Officer Jeffery Skiles took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City on their Airbus A320, they had barely time to take in the glorious view than a huge flock of Canada geese flew into the engines, shutting them down. With less than four minutes to decide whether or not he can make a nearby airport landing, he makes a controversial decision that he believes will lessen the risk of death or injury to his passengers, crew and, indeed, the people on the ground. He draws the plane into the icy Hudson River, ultimately saving every single soul on board.

Watch the trailer for 'Sully' here:


 

Such impressive forward-thinking should have been celebrated, but more than a year later he finds himself under investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board who must decide whether or not his actions were negligent. With the press and the law closing in on him, his reputation is on the line and his increasing self-doubt puts a massive strain on his family life.  

Starring alongside Hanks is Aaron Eckhart as Skiles and Laura Linney as Sully's wife Lorrie. The movie premiered at the 43rd Annual Telluride Film Festival last week and has so far made quite the impression on critics. Rolling Stone called the flick 'an eye-opener' which 'earns your attention and respect by digging deep, by finding the fear and self-doubt inside a man who'd never accept being defined as a hero'. They also praised Hanks 'subtle brilliance' and branded his performance 'acting of the highest order'.

Tom HanksTom Hanks plays Chesley Sullenberger

As part of their research for the film, the cast and crew made sure to meet with the real Skiles and Sullenberger. '[They were] very concerned about their story, wanted to be represented in the proper light, [wanted] things [to be] accurate, which we definitely tried to do [and] was very important to us, and also they're very humble guys', Eckhart told EW. 'They don't look at themselves as heroes. They were just guys doing their jobs, but they take their jobs very seriously. If there was one message to get out for them it is: This is what we trained for, this is why there are very few air accidents, this is why people can trust us when they get on the plane.'

Aaron EckhartAaron Eckhart plays Jeffery Skiles

On the other hand, the actual investigators of the incident were less than pleased with how they were portrayed, especially when they concluded their investigation in Sully's favour. 'The NTSB was not asked to contribute to or participate in the production of 'Sully' and as such we were not afforded an opportunity to ensure our actions and words were portrayed with accurate context or reflected our perspective', the NTSB said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg. 

'Sully' will be released in cinemas tomorrow (September 9th 2016).