Practically unexplainable in words...

Rating: 10/10 (6 September 2006)

United 93...
On September 11th, everything changed. But I was young, around 11, and failed to recognize these changes. I had no sense of patriotism, and I had never seen, nor heard of, the World Trade Centers or the Pentagon. Same goes with Afghanistan and Al Queda. It's truly amazing when you look at the whole situation in a broad sense. I knew so little, and during that day, I felt so little. I told Ms. Palmer (my teacher at the time) that the world's tallest buildings were no longer there, and then I laughed. It was sick in a way, but I was so young. I regret saying those things now. And today, September 5th, the first 9/11 movie came out on DVD. I rented it at soon as I got home from school, and having just finished watching it, I have quite a bit to say.
I sat Indian style in front of my 13 inch television, glued to the screen. Whether my legs were numb from the way I was sitting, or whether the movie terrified me to that extent, I'm not quite sure. Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) is the last person I'd expect to direct this movie. He's British, for starters, and couldn't have truly experienced 9/11 like anyone else in America did that day. So, I had my doubts. Boy, was I wrong.
It is art, in it's most beautiful form. Every angel, every shot, every actor plays his part with infinite perfection. Ground-control air traffickers try to get a sense of what's going on, a during the same time a plane hits the first tower...right behind them. The initial hit, the second hit, the Pentagon, and finally United 93 all occur practically under there noses. Intensly realistic dialoug keeps you interested during the most dull parts. But once the plane is hijacked, you're no longer in your seat. The expression on the edge of your seat can't keep up with the film. You are there, and it's that simple. When one of the four terrorists straps the bomb on his chest, you are no longer in the audience.
The score by John Powell is no better or no worse than necessary. It keeps the control room scenes tense, and the flight scenes quivering. I was honestly scared watching the movie. It's that realistic, and it works so well. The biggest passengers on the plane run to the flight-attendants quarters, grabbing fire-extinguishers, wine-bottles, cork-screws, anything to help them. They plan to take over the plane, because they know of the Twin Towers, they know of the Pentagon, and it all becomes clear. This is a suicide mission. But one of the visionary perspectives of the film is the terrorists, who we fear for and pain for the most. How Greengrass humanizes these people...these monsters, is far beyond my recognition.
The famous line, "Let's Roll" is played down perfectly. It's not a pre-ready, clichéd. action hero line, but a spur of the moment kind of line. Greengrass could have muted the film, readied the heroes in slow-motion, then thrown the line into the blue like anybody else would have done. But no, it's subtle and jumbled and stuttered.
And when they take back the plane...my God is it great. There's only three minutes left of the movie, and in that three minutes, Hell breaks loose. They jump from their seats unexpectedly and storm the first terrorist. There is no gore, only a ten man-to- one rumble for the protection of their country. There is no choreography or balance, and it's perfect. The other three terrorists are confused. Two in the cock-pit and one in the hall, they can only wait for the passengers.
The violins start, but can barely be heard. Screaming and banging and the plane spiraling towards the ground. Greengrass envisions no take-down, no win-lose. He see's, in a shattering finale, the arms of our nation, grasping for the villains, their weapons, the controls, and hope. There is no moral, no character build-up, no wind-up. We don't see where every terrorist ends up on the plane, and where each passenger is during the crash. In the midst of the struggle, we see the ground, moving closer and closer, spinning clock-wise. And whatever we expected from the movie doesn't come. Instead, it's something greater.
I established my mind-set for where I'd go and what I'd do for this country, no matter how corrupt or uncivilized, because this movie offers you inspiration in open arms, and you can't help but take it.