A heart-wrenching tribute to those heroic passengers

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2006)

How does one review a movie like this? It's not your typical terrorist action movie. It's not meant to do a lot of things that are expected of good movies, and its subject matter is so close to the hearts of Americans that many people dismiss it without even having seen it, saying it's inappropriate that people are making money off of this tragedy, that it's too soon after what happened to make this kind of movie, and so on. Though these accusations may have some substance to them, I found United 93 to be a satisfyingly reverent tribute to the heroism of those passengers on that fateful day the morning of September 11.
The movie opens with the terrorists in motel rooms, praying and getting ready for the deed they are about to perform. Then we are taken to a national air traffic control center, then to the airport, where we see many of the passengers getting ready to board. Throughout the movie, we are taken in a sort of loop through four different set pieces: United 93, NORAD control center, an Air Traffic control center, and the FAA.
Paul Greengrass, the director, shows us very well the immense confusion there was over all the hijacking of the planes. Through different cuts, all around the set pieces, we see the realization and the, at first, innocent worry over the "hijacking" of various planes. They pretty much know that the planes are hijacked, but they don't know what for. Eventually they see the smoke pouring out of the world trade center. And then, the dreadful sight of another plane barreling toward the second tower. We live, once more, through the dread that occurred on that day in history.
Greengrass shows nothing but reverence for the material. He knows there are many people out there to whom this is still a very tender matter, and that if he made the wrong film, many people would almost literally go up in arms against him. Never once does he try to glamorize anything that occurred. It is all presented, directly at us, in a straight-forward, no nonsense manner. The score for the film is very muted, only appearing when it needs to, always taking a backseat to the story. It builds dread when it needs to, heightens sadness, and then just fades away to let the story tell itself. Camera-work is mostly, if not completely, hand-held, adding to the chaotic feel of that day. Though the story may also get a little confusing at times, it works for the material, and is purposefully portrayed that way.
Also notable is how there is no attempt to give a back story to any of the characters on United 93. In a normal film like this, you would maybe show brief flashbacks of each person's family as they boarded the plane, but not here. Greengrass knows there is no reason for this. This film is about the heroism that occurred that day, and any attempt to give character to these people would be superfluous. We've all heard their stories.
Once the passengers start planning the attack on the terrorists, the tension builds exponentially. Here is someplace where the story could have easily gone wrong, yet still, showing immense sensitivity for the subject matter, Greengrass directs it perfectly. The passengers start talking, knowing they have to do what they have to do. These aren't superhuman action heroes - these people could be you, me, the person you sit next to on the bus, the person you see walking down the street. We see glimpses of people calling their loved ones - weeping into the phone, knowing this may be the last time they ever speak to them. When the moment comes and they make their move on the terrorists, with the now famous: "let's roll" there are heart-stopping moments and heart-soaring moments. What makes it all the more tragic is that you know they will be successful in overtaking the plane, but you also know that they won't have time to avoid the crash. There is a heart-wrenching moment when it flashes back and forth between the terrorists praying and the people in the back of the plane praying. This movie is the closest that I've come to crying in a long while.
United 93, I believe, is the most effective and poignant movie that could be made about that fateful flight. No energy is wasted on anything superfluous. There is no character development, but there doesn't need to be - these people are who they are. They do not seem like Hollywood actors either - a wise choice by Greengrass to choose a cast of unknowns to play them. They seem completely real - never once did I stop and think, "hey, you know what, those aren't actually them!" In fact, in the scenes outside of the plane, many of the people play themselves. The entire film just sweeps you up in its simple, yet visceral, reality. I am giving this movie a 10/10, not because I believe it is perfect, but because I believe it is the best possible tribute film that could be made to those heroic passengers on that airplane. There is no attempt to paint a larger picture either - we see nothing going on outside of the immediate situation concerning this plane - no talk of Al Qaeda, Bin Laden, the President....it is just simply these passengers. The film just wrenches at your heart with the tragedy, and never once seems glamorized, cheesy, or insulting to these people's memory. It is not a film meant for us to enjoy, but it is a film meant for us to see, and I highly recommend it.