By Karen - 09 September 2021
In winter in New York, Captain Sully woke up from a nightmare. He went out for a jog, breathing at an even rhythm, and his mind was washed by the tide over and over again. He had just experienced a thrilling plane crash and immediately faced an internal investigation by the NTSB. The hero who saved 155 people in the first second may be ruined in the next second.
"I have transported millions of passengers in 40 years of flying, but in the end I was tried for 208 seconds." The title "Sully" is a pun. It is both the captain's name and the word itself has a tainted meaning.
This movie is based on the accidental adaptation of US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. There are no special effects for air crashes, and no highlights. The 86-year-old director Clint Eastwood finished this unexpected story with his usual classical techniques, calm restraint and a little bit of estrangement. The whole IMAX shooting made the touch feel real, and the aftertaste after calming down, like a gentle hug from the old man, with the remaining warmth of the setting sun, dispelling the cold current of the Hudson River.
At 3:26 pm on January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320-214 piloted by Captain Sully took off at LaGuardia Airport in New York. The aircraft was hit by a swarm of birds and both engines lost power. At the critical moment, do you want to return to the departure airport or land at the neighboring airport? Air traffic controllers directed him to make an emergency landing on the ground, but Sully made his own choice and made an emergency landing on the Hudson River.
This is a very risky decision, because if the plane can land on land, it will be much safer than landing on water, and the loss will be less. Sully succeeded in raining, saving the entire crew and exciting all Americans. "New York hasn't had such good news for a long time, especially in relation to airplanes." This compliment alludes to the 9/11 incident 8 years ago, honest and sharp. The people need heroes, but the people have never thought that if Sully fails to land and crashes into a New York building, he will become a sinner.
The NTSB launched an investigation and raised two questions about Sully's decision. One is that the data shows that the left side engine still seems to be powered and does not fail on both sides as reported by Sully. The second is that the experiment of the simulator shows that it is still possible to make a successful landing on the ground even if the twin engines fail. Can Sully decide the fate of the entire machine based on personal experience alone?
Human nature cannot stand the scrutiny under a magnifying glass. When the NTSB questioned Sully's decision, the media immediately followed up and asked, "Is Captain Sully a hero or a liar?"
It is human nature that destroys the image of heroes, and it is human nature that saves the entire machine.
Facing the trial, Sully retorted, "If you are looking for human error then make it human." The simulator can make an emergency landing because it does not require the 208-second decision time of Sully. But we are always human beings, not Greek gods.
Human nature has both shortcomings and mysteries. During the entire process of the plane's emergency landing, the deputy captain maintained consistent trust in the captain, and the stewardess kept calm and repeatedly told the passengers "Brace, Brace, Heads down, Stay down". When the passengers on the plane evacuated in an emergency, there was no rush to rush. A pair of separated father and son always cared about each other, and the moment when the son called to report safety was comforting. The ferry captain rushed to the scene for rescue as soon as possible. New York police and firefighters were also dispatched in time. The diving frogman jumped out of the helicopter in the air and every second counted.
Captain Sully, who was always calm in the face of the plane accident and the trial, was uncontrollable excited when he learned that everyone on board had survived. He hung his tie around his neck, and he didn't want to take off the uniform that had been soaked and cold for a long time. He always carried a small note in his wallet that said, "A delay is better than a disaster"
I never think this is a film that promotes personal heroism. Dongmuping narrated everyone in the incident, without using redundant words and sentences to express emotions, and the film is composed of people themselves, not special effects and emotions. As Captain Sully said at the end of the film, "It's not just me alone, it's all of us, passengers, rescuers, air traffic controllers, ferry crews, and the police diving team. We all do our best. , So we survived." This is a perfect day, just because every ordinary person is on the track of their lives, doing their best.
Similarly, "Sully" is also a process of de-heroization. Faced with the pressure of the NTSB to question his wife's crying, Sully also wondered if she had done something wrong. When the wife said in tears, I almost forgot that you are also one of 155 people. Sully finally got out of the water and returned to the land.
Many times, what life needs is not a hero, but a peaceful landing. The magnificent waves landed, and the scattered tide really poured into my heart.
