"Mustache On The Hudson"

Back in the day, Clint Eastwood would have cast himself as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger...

...and he would have scowled and growled his way to a water landing on the Hudson River in New York City, saving 155 passengers and becoming a national hero in the process.

Eastwood hasn't acted in a movie since 2012's "Trouble With The Curve." Instead, he has focused his energy on the director's chair.

Say what you want about Clint Eastwood...the guy knows how to craft a movie.

This time out he brings us the biopic "Sully," based on the heroic maneuver by airline Captain Chesley Sullenberger on Jan. 15, 2009. 

Tom Hanks (this generation's most dependable actor) plays Sullenberger. Aaron Eckhart (one of the great supporting performers of the day) plays his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles. 

Both of the men sport mustaches.

Is it wrong that I found Hanks's and Eckhart's mustaches to be kind of distracting? 

I realize both of the pilots had them in real life. But they aren't something you see that often today. It might have been wise to take a bit of creative license and have the actors (at least one) "sans" mustache. 

But that's a minor quibble. 

Overall, the movie plays well and offers a steadily engrossing story that capably manages to tell the events of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, while creating an engrossing study into the decisions of the flight crew. 

The movie has a quiet tone, which captures the isolation Sullenberger feels as he wrestles with his decision in the aftermath of the events of that day. 

The deft direction and performances by the lead actors keep the movie afloat throughout the 96-minute run time. 

Should you see it? Absolutely. 

And you have to watch this video that overlays the real-time communication between the pilots and air traffic control:

Read yesterday's blog post: The Sightseeing Complication