Shockingly Powerful, The Most Important Film of the Year

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2006)

You could ask almost any American living in the United States in 2001 where they were when that first plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001. Sadly, I was sleeping at the time, but many of my family members endured the hardship and shock of seeing that second plane smash into the other tower of the World Trade Center, and the tower itself fall to the ground. It was an absolutely harrowing period in time that pretty much everyone sadly remembers. The planes that got the most coverage were the ones that crashed into the World Trade Center, but the plane that didn't get as much coverage was Flight United Airlines 93, which harbored a few outstanding Americans who over-threw terrorist plans to crash the 747 into the White House. 'United 93' the spectacular emotionally-charged drama chronicles an estimation a about what really went on-board.
Paul Greengrass, the Irish writer/director of the film who was behind such films as Bloody Sunday and the Bourne Supremacy, does a magnificent job crafting this heart-wrenching tale. The graininess of the film and the shaky motions of the camera does a perfect job slowly building the tension of the film. 'United 93' is Paul Greengrass' masterpiece, and if there is any justice in the film industry Greengrass will be rewarded with the coveted 'Best Director' Oscar nomination when the Academy Award Nominations for 2006 are announced next January. The acting of 'United 93' is as solid as it can be, with unknown actors turning in accomplished performances that are just as good as what the big-name Hollywood actors would normally offer. I actually admire the fact the production company didn't cast any known actors in this film or have a well known filmmaker direct it, so it could avoid senseless labels of 'the Harrison Ford movie' or 'the Steven Spielberg movie', and be known as 'The 9/11 Flight 93 movie'.
'United 93' succeeds on so many different levels other than acting, writing and directing. I highly commend the film on being so unbiased in everything, the film doesn't discredit the U.S. on this situation and they also don't show the terrorists as senseless monsters who eat little children, so to speak. The people on the flight are shown as real human beings that are flawed, frightened and confused, and the terrorists are shown as frightened and truly believing what they are doing is righteous. 'United 93' resists the Hollywood temptation to point the finger of blame at someone or some group, and just shows an almost documentary-like illustration of the tragic and catastrophic events that took place on that cold September day. Although 'United 93' is flawed in some areas, like starting out a little slow and running on a little long, it has a tremendous amount of heart and provokes such strong emotion from the viewer. We as an audience feel every single bit of pain, fear and hysteria not only the passengers feel, but the terrorists feel as well. Any film that can do that is without question pure genius.
There has been a lot of debate and talk about this film, some people saying it has come out too soon and it's inappropriate. I personally believe it's not. It's a wake-up call to America, to those who just want to forget about how many Americans lost their lives this day. The biggest way to get the attention of the American public is through film, and I think this might have been one of the reasons why 'United 93' was made. Like a rusty fishing knife covered in salt thrusted through your gut, 'United 93' screams 'don't you dare forget what happened on this day, and don't you dare forget why we are in this war." This message might not come across to everyone, but it does to me. Whether you are more conservative or liberal, I think this film is required viewing for any red-blooded American. It's a film of extraordinary power and passion. It's the best film of the year so far, and you can expect it to be on my top 10 film list of 2006 come December. Do not pass up the chance to see 'United 93' which may prove to be one of the most pre-eminent motion pictures of our generation. Grade: A- (screened at AMC Deer Valley 30, Phoenix, AZ, 4/23/06)