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Director: Paul Greengrass
Release Date: April 28th, 2006
Rating: R (for some intense sequences of terror and violence.)
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 This is a damn good movie.
If I had to explain to the children of ten or twenty years from now the confusion, pain, and frustration that was felt on September 11, I would start by showing them this movie.
Other than the quality of filming, it's hard to believe that United 93 was even done by Hollywood. There are no big-name actors, no love affairs, no big speeches, and no meaningless side-plots.
No BS. Just the story.
That's all we've ever really wanted from Hollywood when it comes to historical type movies. Don't give us angles or points of view. Hell, the movie doesn't even have to be three hours long. Just give us the facts.
Director Paul Greengrass went to great lengths to get the family members of the passengers involved in this film. He even went to the point of getting their "permission" to make this film. Airport security cameras, cell phone calls, and the black box allowed the events that transpired on a flight no one survived to be reconstructed.
The final product is nothing short of brilliant.
The film focuses on three areas: The FFA, NORAD, and United 93. It begins in the early morning as we watch the terrorists prepare for their mission. The people at NORAD, the FAA, and the United 93 passengers are all preparing for another typical day. The complacency is captured perfectly.
As the various attacks take place, the shock and confusion is relived. Different air traffic controllers are followed as they try to figure out which planes are actually hijacked. This film shows how the communication and protocol was nonexistent between the key areas of government. No one knew what was going on and no one knew what to do. There was nothing that could have been done on the ground.
There was one group of people who became aware of the bigger picture and that held their destiny in their hands. The passengers of United 93 were among the first people to realize that America was under attack and at the same time had the power to do something. By the time their plane was hijacked, the three other planes had hit their targets.
There are no Braveheart speeches. Names of the passengers aren't even mentioned. These people are just strangers in America realizing they need to fight for their lives.
The battle in the plane is gripping in the extreme and I watched the fight for control of the cockpit with my heart in my throat. The ending left the audience completely speechless, and with the exception of a few claps at the end, most exited the auditorium in silence.
This film gives the passengers the respect they deserved. United 93 will find a home on my shelf and I will show it to anyone who was too young to remember that day or who has simply forgotten.
See this movie.
Related links:
Official Site
Flight 93 National Memorial
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