This requires him to exhibit the emotional weight of the Captain’s tumultuous cross-examination the film depicts, while at the same time keeping the role of Captain Sullenberger on the even keel that the man himself has always been known for.
Eschewing the melodrama that some may inject into such a harrowing scenario, Hanks keeps his version of Captain Sullenberger in the same wheelhouse as the man himself.
Perhaps the greatest reason that Tom Hanks is worthy of an Academy Award nomination for his work in Sully is the fact that it is one of his most subdued performances.