By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
What you think you know about how Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger skillfully glided his disabled U.S. Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, is only the beginning of the story.
Which is why director Clint Eastwood begins this harrowingly realistic, compelling re-creation with the “Miracle on the Hudson,” after which Sully was widely acclaimed as a national hero.
Though it was kept secret at the time, skeptical members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) seriously questioned Sully’s judgment, accusing him of needlessly endangering his crew and passengers with a forced water landing.
Based on sensor readings of the Airbus 320’s left engine, computer simulations showed that the commuter jet could have safely returned to New York’s LaGuardia or made an emergency landing at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
So it’s up to Sully (Tom Hanks), backed by his loyal co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), to prove that his judgment was correct, noting, “No one has ever trained for an incident like that.”
Under Eastwood’s astute direction, Tom Hanks truly embodies this modest, yet efficient professional aviator, as disbelief, denial and realization subtly register on his face within a crucial period of seconds, while Laura Linney captures the angst of his wife Lorrie in California.
Based on Sullenberger and author Jeffrey Zaslow’s book “Highest Duty,” it’s adroitly adapted by Todd Komarnicki – paying due respect to the air-traffic controllers, ferryboat personnel and intrepid helicopter divers who retrieved all 155 passengers and five crew members, stranded on the icy Hudson River, within 24 minutes.
The supporting cast is outstanding, including Michael Rapaport, Mike O’Malley, Holt McCallany, and ferryboat Capt. Vincent Peter Lombardi, playing himself.
Recalling 9/11, someone one-the-scene says, “It’s been awhile since New York had news this good, especially with an airplane in it.”
To which, Capt. Sullenberger added, “I think it gave everyone a chance to have hope, at a time when we all needed it.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Sully” is a tense, exciting 8, as Clint Eastwood, once again, proves he’s a superb storyteller.
An integral part of a critic’s job is to gear a movie to its intended audience. So – if you like horror genre – “Don’t Breathe” is for you.
Opening with a gruesome tease, it quickly becomes a home-invasion thriller that pits a trio of teenage thieves against an unexpectedly resourceful victim: an aging Iraq War veteran, blinded in combat.
Calculating just how much cash they can take to avoid a grand larceny rap, Alex (Dylan Minnette) uses his dad’s security-company connections so he and his friends can rob houses in Detroit.
But his cohorts aren’t quite so careful. Wallowing in luxurious fantasies, Rocky (Jane Levy) tries on glamorous clothes, while her boyfriend (Daniel Zovatto), gleefully desecrates and destroys valuables.
Rocky discovers there’s a Blind Man (Stephen Lang) with a huge stash of currency hidden in his dilapidated house in an isolated neighborhood. It’s a settlement he received when his beloved daughter was hit and killed by a reckless driver who was subsequently acquitted.
Rocky figures that the loot will enable her and her younger sister (Emma Bercovici) to flee to California – far from the trailer park and their abusive mother with her latest boy-friend.
Sedating the Blind Man’s guard dog isn’t difficult, but once they’re inside the house, they get more than they bargained for. Trapped in a menacing cat-and-mouse game when they discover the grim secret that the vengeful old man is hiding in the basement, the malevolent tension escalates exponentially.
Scripted by Rodo Sayagues and Uruguay-born director Fede Alvarez, its cleverly crafted misdirection and claustrophobic, night-vision shocks are reminiscent of “Wait Until Dark” (1967).
On the Granger Gauge, “Don’t Breathe” is a scary 7. Inhale deeply, exhale slowly – and expect a sequel.
If you’re in the mood for an old-fashioned, historical melodrama, choose “The Light Between Oceans.”
Returning from World War in 1919, embittered Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) takes a job manning a lighthouse on an isolated, windswept island called Janus, off the coast of Western Australia. A taciturn fellow of few words, he wants to escape from the carnage of civilization and be left in solitude.
When he meets Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), who lives in the nearest coastal village, a romance via mail ensues, they get married and Isabel subsequently suffers two devastating miscarriages.
Then a dinghy containing a baby girl and the dead body of a man washes up on their beach. Dutiful Tom’s instinct is to report the incident immediately and hope that he and Isabel can adopt the infant.
But desperate Isabel persuades him to keep his silence, convincing him that no agency would allow them to adopt a child to live on rugged, remote Janus Rock with no school, no medical care and no church. Her plan is raise the child as their own in their seaside cottage.
Complications occur at the child’s christening on the mainland, where stoic Tom spies Hannah (Rachel Weisz), mourning at the grave of her husband and baby who disappeared at sea. Riddled with guilt, Tom slips an anonymous note to Hannah, assuring her that her daughter is alive and well. That prompts a police investigation and bitter child-custody struggle.
Adapted from M.L. Sherbourne’s 2012 novel, it’s written and directed by Derek Cianfrance (“Blue Valentine,” “The Place Beyond the Pines”). Obviously contrived and emotionally manipulative, its inherent ethical dilemma generates real empathy, since all the characters must make incredible sacrifices and, ultimately, learn forgiveness.
Couple that with the unrelenting chemistry between Fassbinder and Vikander, amplified by Alexandre Desplat’s lyrical score and Adam Arkapaw’s evocative cinematography.
On the Granger Gauge, “The Light Between Oceans” shines with a schmaltzy 7, a sorrowful, heart-wrenching “weeper.”
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
