United they stand.

Rating: 7/10 (2 June 2006)

There isn't a lot you can say about the story that you don't already know. Four planes all high jacked by terrorists each with specific targets. The first three hit the twin towers and the pentagon and the fourth, due to the bravery of the passengers was brought down in a field, this then is their story. Shot at times in an almost dogma/documentary style it looks rough and with close in shots giving a claustrophobic feel and amplifying the cramped conditions of the plane it adds to the tension well. It is a slow builder as we get everyone on the plane and get it off the ground, but once the 1st of the towers is smoking and no one knows why, the film really kicks in. There has been criticism that this film comes too soon, only five years, after the actual events of that horrific day. But whether it is made now or in twenty years time is irrelevant, to me the scar will still be raw. That day is etched in my brain forever and cannot be erased so I don't think it matters when it is made, just that it has. There are films made all the time about serial killers and true-life heroic deeds, this just happens to be both. This is one of those rare films that capture a moment in history for generations to learn from in years to come. Although not a pleasurable watch in an entertainment sense (unlike Fahrenheit 911 it does use footage of the attacks that made me hair stand on end still) it is something that everyone should see. One of the most interesting things about the film was how un-American it was there were no Rambo's or Schwarzenegger's here, but grown men scared and driven to desperation. Maybe it was because it was a British director? Or in telling tales of true life people are just more honest. Either way it shows us a group of people who did what they had to in the face of adversity. As it says in the film Gladiator 'whatever you do in this life echoes in eternity'. This is a poignant and moving tribute to anyone that was involved in that fateful sunny day on September 11th.