**Based on real events, the film does full justice to what happened, despite not being a particularly memorable film for any of those involved.**
On January 15, 2009, the American people (and the entire world) saw with amazement and great joy the way in which a commercial airliner, after hitting a flock of birds and losing its two engines, managed to cheat death and land safely in the waters of the Hudson River in New York. The pilot, Chelsey Sullenberger, was widely credited for the aerial feat, having managed to save everyone on the plane and limit the incident to material damage. In fact, the veteran pilot largely ignored the instructions from the Tower, trusted his instincts and experience, and made the right decision.
No wonder, then, that it all ended up on film. Clint Eastwood has done better and more notable works in his directing career, but he's in good shape here, and the film fully honors what happened that day. However, the film lacks tension and drama, and most of the action takes place after the accident, throughout the long investigation in which the authorities tried to verify what happened, and to what extent could they blame the pilots of that plane.
Tom Hanks is one of those actors that we can call a “safe bet”. Whatever film he decides to make, it's almost guaranteed that the actor will put in his best effort and do his job to the best of his ability. And this film was no exception, with a good performance, in which Hanks managed to capture very well the voice, gestures and mannerisms of the real person he imitated, and who he knew to be able to do so. Aaron Eckhart also rose to the challenge, giving his character a touch of unpretentious humor that suits him well, as well as giving Hanks a very welcome backing. Unfortunately, on the part of the cast, there is nothing else good to point out. Laura Linney did everything she could with her character, but she doesn't have any material or relevance to help her. The evaluators who analyze what happened, however, are the film's most ungrateful and poorly written characters because, for increased dramatic effects, they are virtually demonized.
Technically, the film is pretty decent. There are glaring flaws of anachronism in between, that the most attentive eye can easily find, such as the deciduous trees that are green despite the fact that the film takes place in the middle of winter, and also there is not a single person on that crashed plane that we can see the breath of (something common on colder days, when we see our breath as a vapor). The plane scenes were very well done and the CGI used was really good. The cinematography is good, the film makes good use of the scenic beauty of New York and its Hudson River, and the filming locations were chosen and used in the best way possible. The soundtrack is essentially banal and unremarkable.
