A very powerful film that EVERY American should see

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2006)

I was a bit apprehensive about viewing this film, wondering if enough time had gone by for me to revisit this terrible day in our nation's recent history. There is no single word that can describe this movie other than POWERFUL. The director, Paul Greengrass uses hand held cameras and jumping from shot to shot to give the film a docu-drama feel. Also, the choice of casting several of the actual air traffic control and military personnel involved as themselves lends a sense of realism to the film.
The story begins on that terrible morning and shows how the people involved conduct their business. The tone of the film is very non-biased, we see air traffic controllers, flight staff and passengers portrayed as regular people, not as heroes or bad guys. Although I knew how most of the day's events played out, I still found myself hoping and wishing for a different ending.
This film is quite an emotional roller coaster, and is definitely not something easy or pleasant to watch, but great cinema sometimes can be painful. Please do yourself a favor and see this movie.