Film Review: Sully: Miracle on the Hudson

"No One Warned Us. No One Said "You're Going To Lose Both Engines At A Lower Altitude Than Any Jet In History"..."

No guys, Clint Eastwood's latest isn't a continuation of the Monsters Inc. character but instead a biographical drama based upon the extraordinary events that took place on 15th January 2009 when US Airways Flight 1549 was miraculously landed upon the Hudson River by pilots Chelsey Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles after a bird strike had completely destroyed both the left and right engines, leaving them in the air with no thrust and little chance to return to ground safely. Such a remarkable and historical achievement was inevitably set to hit the big screens sooner rather than later and what Eastwood has accomplished with Sully is creating a gripping and intelligently played drama which tackles not only the experience of Captain Sully's landing but the repercussions of it too. With Tom Hanks performing effortlessly in the lead role as the titular Sully, Eastwood's latest is indeed a hit, albeit suffering from some minor issues which prevent it from being up there with his best work as a director. 

Inevitably, the fundamental narrative that fluctuates throughout Sully is a gripping enough plot in itself to catch the eye of even the least cinematically viable audience with a good, uplifting heroic story being the mark of a bankable picture, particularly when you have the reliable hands of Hanks as your movies' star, and whilst the movie skips between the past and the present of our titular hero, the most effective parts of the movie take place during the films' big set pieces, primarily the landing itself as well as the discussions that take place afterwards where although the narrative is hyped up completely to function as the drama, still manages to work, even if Eastwood manages to make every single journalist and white collar worker look like the villains of the piece. What the film didn't need however was the cringey CGI crash scenes which took place inside the traumatised mind of our hero which completely reverses the effect of the movie and removes it from the subtle and understated nature of a film like Spotlight and instead becomes more of a popcorn movie as a result. Of course, popcorn movie goodness is not entirely a bad thing and whilst Sully does manage to come away as an effective telling of an incredible achievement within recent history, it isn't really anything more than that, but, as with anything with Tom Hanks in, Sully is still an enjoyable and well made drama. 

Overall Score: 7/10  

Film Review: Nocturnal Animals

"Do You Ever Feel You're Life Has Turned Into Something You Never Intended..?"

With only his second feature after A Single Man, designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford returns to the cinematic spectrum this month with Nocturnal Animals, a gripping, white-knuckle thriller featuring a stellar cast on top of their form and a film which not only develops the reputation of Ford as an intelligent and sophisticated filmmaker but a film which resonates with you long after you arise from your sweat-covered seat and leave the cinema. Not only is Nocturnal Animals one of the most original films of the year, it is undoubtedly one of the toughest thrillers I can remember seeing in a long time, producing scene after scene of unbearable tension all the while mixing between a wide range of genres in an effective and unashamedly top-notch fashion. With an unbelievable bunch of A-List stars such as Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and the always brilliant Michael Shannon at the film's core, Nocturnal Animals is an essential movie for anyone tough enough to withstand its' scorching sense of nihilistic suffering. 

After receiving the first print of former husband's latest novel "Nocturnal Animals", fashion designer Susan Morrow (Adams) begins to delve deep into the dark and twisted story that her former lover has created, all-the-while reminiscing not only her own, personal life struggles but the way in which her relationship with former husband Edward Sheffield (Gyllenhaal) came to an end. Mixing in a somewhat Lynchian nihilism to developments as well as a wide range of thrilling yet hard-going set pieces, reminiscent of films such as Lynch's Blue Velvet and even films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in terms of the film's relentless darkness, Nocturnal Animals will indeed not be for everyone, yet much like Winding Refn's The Neon Demon earlier this year, some will revel in its' extreme genre crossing boundaries; myself included. Whilst the film's rather off-kilter and entirely misjudged opening title sequence prevents the movie from being anything close to perfection, Nocturnal Animals is one of the most refreshing and original movies of the year.

Overall Score: 9/10

Film Review: Mr. Holmes

True Detective

The world-renowned image of one Sherlock Holmes is now hotly, and justly, associated with Mr. Cumberbatch who has taken the popularity of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective to obscene levels of popularity in the 21st century. It is only apt therefore for an actor of status such as Sir Ian McKellen to add a further level of depth to an already well-established character on the big screen, with Mr. Holmes delving into the later life of the great detective, who aside from struggling from the normal growing pains of memory-loss and tiresome limbs, struggles too from the pain of a long forgotten case whilst simultaneously finding redemption in the form of young apprentice, Roger, played by newcomer Milo Parker. If the BBC production of Sherlock can be aligned with traits of being both fast-paced and highly engaging, then Mr Holmes can be seen as a much more mellow and somber affair with the primary action taking place in jump cuts to actions that have previously occurred. The fact that young Roger himself continually asks Sherlock to try and recollect such previous encounters, thus echoing my own feelings, suggests that the filmmakers are well aware of the need to hurry up and get to the highly engaging flashbacks which deeply overshadow the less than captivating moments in which we see Sherlock attend to his apiary.  

Based upon "A Slight Trick of the Mind" by Mitch Cullin, Mr Holmes does feature a stunning lead performance from one of cinema's most beloved actors in the form of Sir Ian McKellen, who embraces the chance two-fold to portray the great detective himself, whilst young Milo Parker and Laura Linney provide solid enough support as mother and child double act. Although the film flew by and had just enough entertainment to keep me engaged throughout, fans of the Cumberbatch era Sherlock may be unhappy with the lack of overall Sherlockian mystery that Mr. Holmes presents, yet the film does not shy away from the fact that instead of just another big-screen adaptation of such, Mr. Holmes intends to show an older and more fragile side to the detective that we are used to and for that, I applaud it. 

Overall Score: 8/10