United 93

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2009)

From Oscar nominated director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy + Ultimatum), this was the first major film, after five years, to show the devastating events of September 11th 2001. Basically passengers went about their normal lives as they boarded for flight 93 from United Airlines, and without their knowledge the North Twin Tower of New York caught fire, supposedly from a plane hitting it. Not long afterwards, a second hijacked plane hit the other tower, as well as part of the Pentagon, and the 93 passengers still had no knowledge of it. Eventually, the flight is overtaken by terrorists, aiming to crash the flight into another target, and the passengers are stricken with fear. The terrorists however did not stop passengers using the on board phone services, to call the police, and of course loved ones, as they slowly planned to stop the terrorists and regain control. Their plan is put in motion, and they attack the terrorists, causing the plane to lose control, and it hurtles towards the ground, crashing into a field. Starring many unknowns, and even some of the real people involved at the airport, including Lewis Alsamari as Saeed Al Ghamdi, J.J. Johnson as Captain Jason Dahl, Gary Commock as First Officer LeRoy Homer, Trish Gates as Sandra Bradshaw, Polly Adams as Deborah Welsh, Cheyenne Jackson as Mark Bingham, Opal Alladin as CeeCee Lyles, Starla Benford as Wanda Anita Green, Nancy McDoniel as Lorraine G. Bay and David Alan Basche as Todd Beamer. The real events inside the plane will never be known, but the authentic feeling ones in the film, from the phone calls made by the doomed passengers, is convincing, gripping, moving and dignified, a magnificent drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Editing, and it won the BAFTAs for Best Editing and the David Lean Award for Direction for Greengrass, and it was nominated for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound. Very good!