In his directing works, actor Clint Eastwood (Two Glorious Scoundrels) repeatedly devotes himself to this People who become heroes through certain actions. The films are primarily about the responsibility that comes with this status. A prime example is the drama Sully, inspired by real events, in which Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump) plays a pilot who takes radical action in an absolutely emergency situation. Then it has to be clarified whether he is a hero or has broken the law.
Arte will broadcast Sully on November 9, 2025 at 8:15 p.m. If you don’t have time, you can also stream the Eastwood film for free in the channel’s media library.
TV tip: This is what Clint Eastwood’s dramatic biopic Sully is about
The plot of Sully is based on the autobiography of real-life pilot Chesley Sullenberger. In 2009, as an experienced pilot, he made an emergency landing of a plane with 155 people on board on New York’s Hudson River, with everyone surviving. Sully then has to answer to the aviation safety authority classifies his behavior as grossly negligent. While on the one hand he is celebrated by the public for his crime, on the other hand he is threatened with punishment.
Watch a German trailer for Clint Eastwood’s Sully here:
Sully – Trailer 2 (Deutsch) HD
Sully is captivating as a catastrophe drama that lingers for a long time
Even though Eastwood strongly emphasizes the honorable side of the pilot, the director does not simply give in to the blind heroization of the protagonist. Instead, he questions the pressure that is heavy on Sully, even though he only did what he impulsively thought was the right thing to do in the extreme situation.
With Tom Hanks, the film has the right actor at its side to portray Sully with the necessary warmth. Even if the calm piano tones on the Sully soundtrack occasionally move in the direction of a manipulative melodrama, Eastwood stages the entire work without false pathos, rather than his Plea for humanity is also an expression of the strength of each individual.
