Emotionally Challenging, Mentalling Captivating

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2006)

When I went to see this film the cinema was sold out. In such a case one generally expects the noise of popcorn rustling, coke supping, and sweet bag opening. None of these sounds were present, replaced instead with a deathly silence and broken intermittently from open sobbing. This sobbing was not restricted to any group as people from all around the cinema participated in a communal outpouring of emotion that maybe has not been possible since the event since it has been mediatized and politicized. Instead this film provoked raw emotions in those that saw it, me included, and when it ended, there was no chatter, we who watched it simply got up and left, not talking until we reached our cars. Put quite simply, the film is very realistic, well delivered and well acted. The director and production staff have put a lot of effort into creating the right feeling on the plane and the right atmosphere of those on the plane once the plane is taken over. The attention to detail is impeccable, and they even include a character (fictional or not I don't know) who outlines the previous history of hi-jackers thus explaining why similar events didn't happen on the other planes on the fateful morning. All in all, it is a compelling film, and one that I will certainly buy when it comes out on DVD. It makes real events that have been made feel so in-human in a very respectful way. 10 out of 10