An excellent source movie

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 2006)

If you hoped to forever forget how you felt on September 11, 2001, do not go to see United 93.
From the beginning, United 93 walks you through the events that changed the world that day. And rather than treat the events is a sappy manner, the filmmakers opted for a more Sergeant Friday "just the facts" approach while not forsaking drama.
There are no assignable heroes in this movie. What we see are people on the ground and in the sky who assume leadership roles and do what is necessary for those moments in time. The phrase "let's roll," which became emblazoned on our minds post-911, is as underplayed for the viewer as it likely was on the plane that day.
The movie avoids being politically correct as well yet offers us no political commentary either. The terrorists who hijacked United 93 are portrayed as devout without being completely dehumanized. There's anxiousness and hesitancy along side the strange devotion to their God and their mission; a devotion which wins out as they yell "Allah Ackbar" before carrying out their heinous acts. In short, there's no doubt left that these men are Muslim, yet the film draws no conclusions for us about either Muslims nor Islam in general.
Absent from the film is the tendency to overstate the hero status of the passengers and crew of United 93. The movie successfully contrasts two groups: the terrorists who gain control of the plane in order to die for their mission and those passengers and crew who fight to live. The contrast is a reminder that heroes aren't heroes because they want to die, rather, they're heroes because they value life.
The chaos of the day is also clearly portrayed without raising the cliché questions which have politicized the event. Replayed are the first few hours. Like most Americans that day, those watching the movie miss the first strike. By the time the second tower is hit we have gotten an insiders' look at how things work in air traffic control and we realize that hindsight is always 20/20 and September 11, 2001 is no exception to that rule.
Stunned silence on the screen as the second tower is struck was mimicked by other movie goers. And the decision to land all planes comes off as a brave decision deserving of cheers.
Yet the flaws of that day are equally and painfully obvious: the military and FAA lacked cooperation; there were confusing reports (at first it was assumed that a small aircraft hit the first tower); etc.
The most redeeming quality of United 93 was the "resistance" scene. We know the end to come, and yet we're left to admire, and even feel like cheering on, those who fought back on the plane that day. Which leaves one asking oneself: What would I have done?