We saw “Sully” last night and thought it was good. BUT it suffers from the same problem as essentially every “based on a true story” Hollywood film which is that in the absence of a villain (except some geese I guess) it makes one up. In this case the NTSB.
From the New York Times:
“In reality, there were no subsequent simulations conducted at Captain Sullenberger’s suggestion. There was no need. Before the safety board presented its findings to the real Captain Sullenberger at a public hearing, it had already conducted its simulations both ways and found that the plane did indeed crash.”
Always remember if something seems outrageous in a “true” story it probably isn’t true. In real life there aren’t many villains. It’s a shame really because I’m sure most people leave the film thinking “stupid government can’t be trusted” when in fact the NTSB is entirely professional and effective. Also Sully himself asked the studio to change the names of the NTSB investigators (rather than use real names) because it wasn’t fair to them. I almost can’t believe they ever planned to use real names.
Ok done soapboxing. Enjoy the show! 😀