Brilliant and Heartbreaking

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2006)

United 93, a film about one of the four hijacked planes on September 11, 2001 is a terrifyingly realistic look into the morning of that tragic, and yet heroic, day in American history.
From beginning to end, United 93 seems to be happening in real time. With acting that is so genuine that you are absorbed into the horrifying experience that the characters are going through.
Character development is minimal, with no back-story for anyone on the plane. The connection made to the people is found through phone calls they make to their family, friends and loved ones and through the dialogue, which is authentic and captivating.
Acting is superb, with no big names or high profile actors cast in any role. Even some real U.S. Military Air Traffic Controllers were used to play parts essential in understanding the reality of how confusing and hectic it was for everyone to grasp what was actually happening in those few heart wrenching hours.
Director Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy and Bloody Sunday) has made a masterpiece of a movie. While sometimes, especially towards the end of the film, camera movements are erratic and the hand-held cameras used inside the plane is almost disorienting, it captures the frantic pace at which everything must have happened on board United 93 during its last minutes of flight.
What this movie truly comes down to, though, is the heroic and unbelievable story of the passengers aboard Flight 93, who did something that was not only incredibly brave but also undoubtedly lifesaving.
The actions taken aboard that plane and the catastrophic events of that day should never be forgotten by the American people.
United 93 is not an exploitation of the events of 9/11, but an account of the happenings of that appalling day and the actions taken by the hero's flying onboard that flight. It is the right time for people to begin to remember and commemorate the hero's of September 11 with films such as this one.
An achievement in every aspect, United 93 is just as gut wrenching as it is saddening and breathtaking. This movie is a must see that cannot be overlooked.