Who Asked You ... Movie Review - United 93

United 93

Directed By: Paul Greengrass

Starring: Major James Fox, Staff Sgt. Shawna Fox, 1st Lt. Jeremy Powell, Greg Callahan, Rick Tepper, Tobin Miller, Ben Sliney, Rich Sullivan, Tony Smith

Approximately a year ago I posted on this blog my thoughts on the documentary "9/11". This remarkable film provides the most poignant and unbiased view of the event of Spetember 11th, 2001. I still feel that anyone who wants to truly mean it when they say they will "never forget" should see this film.

When I heard that Hollywood was producing the first non-documentary film involving the events of 9/11, I felt it was too soon. I feared that this was going to be an attempt by a movie studio to cash in. Thankfully after seeing "United 93" I can say that those fears would seem to have been unwarranted.

What "United 93" does is show the audience, in 'real time' or something close to it, the events of 9/11 that were not captured on CNN cameras or by individuals on the ground in New York. As the title would indicate the primary thread of the film is the event onboard flight 93. However secondary plot streams chronicle the ordered choas (or maybe chaotic order) of the Federal Aviation Administration's National Air Traffic Control Center, the air traffic control centers in New York, Boston, and Clevland, and a military command center.

The events shown are based on the actual accounts of individuals involved on the ground and the 9/11 commission's conclusions of what happened on the plane.

What the movie does not give you is what you would expect from a Hollywood movie based on this subject. No character development. No backstories. Nothing intended to give us a closer connection to any of the characters. No patriotism. No "go america go" or "USA!" moments. No veiled political messages (watch for Oliver Stone's forthcoming "World Trade Center" for that). The film's director/writer clearly understood that the story was dramatic enough already.

The film also doesn't go out of its way to make us feel one way or another about the terrorists themselves. The script does not portray them as evil nor does it make any effort to make them sympathetic. The hijackers are shown as they likely were scared young (18-23 year old) zealots. The most interesting portrayal is that of the lead hijaker who appears to be older or at least more mature than his counterparts. Despite this maturity he also appears to be the most hesitant to do what he does. In one brief moment he is shown calling a loved one before he boards the plane and saying a final "I love you". Perhaps he was hesitant because unlike his partners, and most suicide bombers, he had something to live for. As an audience member, even though you know what will happen you cannot help but hope that he will have a change of heart.

Many moments in the film stand out. When the passengers kill a terrorist for the first time the audience I saw the film with actually applauded.

When the passenger make progress in storming the cockpit you can't help but hope for them, even though you know what will happen.


When the director intercuts scenes of both the passengers and the hijakers praying you can't help but ponder deeper issues.

Perhaps most poignantly, the film gives us heart-wrenching scenes of several of the passengers calling their loved ones to say a final goodbye. The passengers had little time and not everyone had access to a phone. How would you handle a situation like that? When facing almost certain death and with the opportunity to make only one phone call, who would that call be to? These are questions that ate hoisted upon the audiences shoulders during what may have been this somber film's saddest moment. Who would you call?

United 93 proves without a shadow of a doubt that mystery is not needed to create suspense or excitment. Even knowing exactly how the story would end I literally discovered that my heart was racing during much of the experience of watching this film. Alfred Hitchcock once said something to the effect of, "Suspense is when there is a bomb under a man's seat, and everyone knows it but that man." This film may be the greatest example of that truth of cinema.