"Hi mom, its me... this really kind woman handed me the phone and told me to call you. "
After leaving the theater I saw UNITED 93 I felt an eerie feeling. Something was not quite right in my, and I was very shaken up, perhaps more so than I've ever been after any movie I've ever seen. There was something wrong with this film, I thought to myself. Whatever that this was, I couldn't put my finger on it. Looking back on the film, I realize now that the eerie feeling I had in the pit of my stomach was from the film's absolute perfection. The reason I couldn't place my finger on what was wrong with UNITED 93 was because, well, nothing was wrong with it. The film is without a single flaw or misstep. It may in fact be the film that does what intends to do more perfectly than any other film I've ever seen.
Director Paul Greengrass's vision is inspired, respectful, and in its own right extraordinary. From the very first moment of the film, he puts the audience in the shoes of everyone onboard United Flight 93. Non-name actors are used to give the film a more realistic feel, and these people are really a genuine reflection of life. As in the real world the passengers barely communicate with each other, other than the pleasantries of exchanging information such as occupations, reasons for being on the flight, and the weather. There is no background stories for any of the characters because in all likelihood none of the passengers knew anything about the people they were flying with.
Other than the controversy that arose due to the argument that it might have been too early to make a 9/11 film (which would have happened to any film regardless of the time period, United 93 was just the first released in theaters), debate raged over the portrayal of the terrorists who overtook United 93. The beginning frames of the film show the terrorists in their hotel rooms ceremonially praying and shaving off all of the hair on their body. They pray in every moment of solitude for strength and protection from God, and the lead terrorist is heard saying “I love you” to someone on a cell phone before he gets on the plane. Greengrass, who wrote the script for UNITED 93, does not portray these men as monsters, but as men who were doing what they believed was right according to their religion. Whether they were monsters or martyrs is a debate that will in all likelihood never end.
Along with the story line of the members of Flight 93 is the story of the men and women working at the FAA and the air control traffickers. It was the Director of the FAA’s first day, and a day that he’ll never forget. He, as well as other members of the government who worked on the ground that day, plays himself. Again, Greengrass uses the actual people involved in the tragedy to make the film more realistic. He also wisely avoids any conspiracy theories that arose after 9/11 about the government, religious groups, terrorists, or anything else really. The scenes on the ground take place in real-time, and the audience watches the most horrific day of this generation unfold as the workers in the FAA did. Several planes are thought to have been hijacked that actual were not. After the first plane hits the World Trade Center, it is suspected, and then incorrectly confirmed by the government to be a small one-man plane. A plane goes off the FAA’s radar over New Jersey, and then the World Trade Center is hit again. Everyone in the picture’s eyes open in shock when the plane that disappeared over New Jersey resurfaces over Connecticut. The military wages war with itself over whether or not the rules of engagement allow any planes to be shot down. When fighter jets are finally scrambled and are in the air the audience finds out in horror that none of them are armed.
On board the terrorists take over the plane, which comes as no surprise to anyone, but is still emotionally shocking. One of the four terrorists straps a bomb around their chest, while another stands next to him, and a third slits the throat of a passenger to ensure the passengers that this is not a laughing matter. The final terrorist kicks down the cockpit door and takes control of the plane, killing the pilots.
The sudden burst of action after the flight-like calm is devastating. Anarchy ensues onboard, as the passengers run to the rear huddled together. One sees the pilots being dragged out, instilling even more fear because they had possibly believed that all of this was a hostage situation that they would all live through. One passenger relays the message from a relative that the World Trade Center had been hit. The emotion overflows in the last fifteen minutes of the film. The infamous phone calls to loved ones are made, and everyone realizes that it is now or never. They are not going to make it off the plane if the continue to sit in the rear of the plane hoping someone else will save them. Todd Beamer’s famous “Let’s Roll” speech is played out, but not in a heroic tone, but more a tone of desperation. A ragtag, last-minute plan is made, and the passengers, who sat down as a group of individuals, rise as a united body. There is a spark of hope in the pit of the audience’s stomachs, as the heroes aboard that plane rush through the aisle to the cockpit. The most haunting moment of the film comes when it is realized that although this is a movie, it does not have a happy ending.
Some people question why this movie was made. No questions were answered with any certainty or validity. There was no character development. There wasn’t a standout performance or line of dialogue. The reason that this film was made was for audiences to remember 9/11. Not that over 3,000 American lives were lost at the World Trade Center, but that there were forty men and women who sacrificed their lives so that another event similar to the World Trade Center would not happen. Because art is a meditation of life, and there is decency and heroism in this film, it can be concluded that there is something to be fought for in the real world. That is why I believe Paul Greengrass made this film, and that is why it is such an important masterpiece, one that may define this generation.
Director Paul Greengrass's vision is inspired, respectful, and in its own right extraordinary. From the very first moment of the film, he puts the audience in the shoes of everyone onboard United Flight 93. Non-name actors are used to give the film a more realistic feel, and these people are really a genuine reflection of life. As in the real world the passengers barely communicate with each other, other than the pleasantries of exchanging information such as occupations, reasons for being on the flight, and the weather. There is no background stories for any of the characters because in all likelihood none of the passengers knew anything about the people they were flying with.
Other than the controversy that arose due to the argument that it might have been too early to make a 9/11 film (which would have happened to any film regardless of the time period, United 93 was just the first released in theaters), debate raged over the portrayal of the terrorists who overtook United 93. The beginning frames of the film show the terrorists in their hotel rooms ceremonially praying and shaving off all of the hair on their body. They pray in every moment of solitude for strength and protection from God, and the lead terrorist is heard saying “I love you” to someone on a cell phone before he gets on the plane. Greengrass, who wrote the script for UNITED 93, does not portray these men as monsters, but as men who were doing what they believed was right according to their religion. Whether they were monsters or martyrs is a debate that will in all likelihood never end.
Along with the story line of the members of Flight 93 is the story of the men and women working at the FAA and the air control traffickers. It was the Director of the FAA’s first day, and a day that he’ll never forget. He, as well as other members of the government who worked on the ground that day, plays himself. Again, Greengrass uses the actual people involved in the tragedy to make the film more realistic. He also wisely avoids any conspiracy theories that arose after 9/11 about the government, religious groups, terrorists, or anything else really. The scenes on the ground take place in real-time, and the audience watches the most horrific day of this generation unfold as the workers in the FAA did. Several planes are thought to have been hijacked that actual were not. After the first plane hits the World Trade Center, it is suspected, and then incorrectly confirmed by the government to be a small one-man plane. A plane goes off the FAA’s radar over New Jersey, and then the World Trade Center is hit again. Everyone in the picture’s eyes open in shock when the plane that disappeared over New Jersey resurfaces over Connecticut. The military wages war with itself over whether or not the rules of engagement allow any planes to be shot down. When fighter jets are finally scrambled and are in the air the audience finds out in horror that none of them are armed.
On board the terrorists take over the plane, which comes as no surprise to anyone, but is still emotionally shocking. One of the four terrorists straps a bomb around their chest, while another stands next to him, and a third slits the throat of a passenger to ensure the passengers that this is not a laughing matter. The final terrorist kicks down the cockpit door and takes control of the plane, killing the pilots.
The sudden burst of action after the flight-like calm is devastating. Anarchy ensues onboard, as the passengers run to the rear huddled together. One sees the pilots being dragged out, instilling even more fear because they had possibly believed that all of this was a hostage situation that they would all live through. One passenger relays the message from a relative that the World Trade Center had been hit. The emotion overflows in the last fifteen minutes of the film. The infamous phone calls to loved ones are made, and everyone realizes that it is now or never. They are not going to make it off the plane if the continue to sit in the rear of the plane hoping someone else will save them. Todd Beamer’s famous “Let’s Roll” speech is played out, but not in a heroic tone, but more a tone of desperation. A ragtag, last-minute plan is made, and the passengers, who sat down as a group of individuals, rise as a united body. There is a spark of hope in the pit of the audience’s stomachs, as the heroes aboard that plane rush through the aisle to the cockpit. The most haunting moment of the film comes when it is realized that although this is a movie, it does not have a happy ending.
Some people question why this movie was made. No questions were answered with any certainty or validity. There was no character development. There wasn’t a standout performance or line of dialogue. The reason that this film was made was for audiences to remember 9/11. Not that over 3,000 American lives were lost at the World Trade Center, but that there were forty men and women who sacrificed their lives so that another event similar to the World Trade Center would not happen. Because art is a meditation of life, and there is decency and heroism in this film, it can be concluded that there is something to be fought for in the real world. That is why I believe Paul Greengrass made this film, and that is why it is such an important masterpiece, one that may define this generation.
A+
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