Heroes of a Different Kind

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2006)

Based on real-life events of the tragic day known throughout the world as "9/11", this film "United 93" tells the tale of what happened aboard Flight 93, which is the hijacked plane that did not crash in to it's intended target, but, the terrorists were overthrown by the brave crew and passengers, who valued the lives of those they would save more than their own, proving that heroes come in many forms.
"United 93" is a highly respectful film in terms of the sensitive nature of 9/11 and for the families of those aboard Flight 93. The story takes place, as one would expect, in almost real-time, flicking between the plane itself and various command centers, both military and aviation. Production values are high, and it's easy to see how much hard work has gone into making "United 93" just right. However it seems to fall just short of that mark simply for the fact that, as an audience, we do not get to learn that much about the people aboard Flight 93. If this were any other "disaster movie" that would be a disaster in itself, but since this is based on real life events, perhaps it was a good move, as the characters on the plane were real people, real heroes.
Although little is revealed about the passengers, as the film tenses up it is easy to become compassionate for them as they watch what is happening. Most heart-breaking is, as expected, when the passengers begin the much-publicised phone calls to their loved ones. A brave move, and one which in my opinion paid off, was having no Hollywood A-listers amongst the cast. As there were plenty of characters, not everyone got a lot of screen time, but the standout performance easily goes to Trish Gates who plays Senior Flight Attendant Sandra Bradshaw. David Alan Basche, Cheyenne Jackson and Christian Clemenson also gave fantastic performances.
"United 93" is, at times hard to watch, but it immortalises such heroic actions from "regular" people that took place on the day that changed the world forever. Also, the film ends at a very good point. If the film had carried on further than where it did, it would have most certainly been in poor taste.