United 93

I was very leery about seeing this film, as the prospect of reliving the events of 9/11 did not particularly appeal to me. Thus I waited nearly two years, and it was only the very positive reviews I kept seeing that finally convinced me to view the film.

Like most Americans, I clearly remember the events of that day...and the way it affected me for years afterwards. It was the plight of the planes themselves that had the biggest impact on me, probably due to the fact that I traveled all the time for work and had taken some of those very flights. In the months that followed, as I tried to process the tragedy of what had occurred, I often pictured myself in the same situation and wonder how I would have reacted. I remember flying just a week after 9/11, and not being particularly nervous, but with a heightened awareness and suspicion of all that was around me--scrutinizing passengers, looking for emergency exits, watching the bathroom.

As I watched the movie unfold, I was struck by the "realness" of the scenes and the acting. United 93 so accurately captures the experience of airline travel that it could be a documentary. In a sense it allowed me to see the events I had imagined in my head so many times before played out in front of me on the screen.

All the action takes place in "real time," and there are no back-stories, or judgments, or manufactured drama. You know nothing more about the people on the plane than you would know about your fellow passengers traveling on a flight today. This choice allows you to experience the events from a first hand perspective (at least it did for me).

We all know what happens to the flight, so there is no suspense about the outcome. I did not find myself "routing for the good guys" or feeling that sense of pumped-up macho bravado that I often experience with action films. Though I did experience a slew of different emotions, I think for most of the movie I was in shock--just as I was on that very day six years ago.

At the end of the movie I cried, when the epilogue began to roll. Not because of what I read on the screen (I already knew the information), but because I think I finally could allow myself to let go and start to feel what I just seen and relived. I will need more time to fully process the impact the movie had on me, but I will agree with others that thus far it has been an extremely cathartic experience.

It is hard to judge this film on strictly technical merit because of the power of its content. I will say that the acting, direction, camera work, and editing are excellent. They absolutely get it right. You could say that the story development could have been more complex and compelling, but I think if you are trying to judge this movie on that level you are totally missing the point. The narrative is what it is: how things unfolded on September 11th (or our understanding of them).

This in not a film about politics, patriotism, or national pride. It is just a story of what happened on one particular day in September of 2001 and the people involved and some of the lives it touched. The biggest impact of the movie is dependent upon you; and that depends on how 9/11 affected you, and how you've dealt with it since. For me this movie was a very positive experience, and one that I believe has helped me heal just a little bit more from the wounds of the tragedy on that day.

(This review was originally written on IMDB on December 11, 2007)


United 93 (2006)
Starring: Various
Directed by: Paul Greengrass

(6 out of 7 skinks)