A Devastating Docudrama Examining Chaos and Self Preservation

Rating: 10/10 (2 June 2006)

No words can describe this powerful examination of September 11th. This film grips you with its relentless real time expose of how the dramatic events of September the eleventh unfolded.. We are immediately introduced to the hijackers and passengers of Flight 93 then swept into the boiler rooms of America's skys led by Ben Sliney the Federal Aviation Administration Boss as himself .. From here we are introduced to the detailed chaos of traffic control following the increasing anomolaic movement of rogue numbers across a VDU.. with a gradual realisation of something new in conflict ! This is captured by the hectic audio mix of the control rooms and plane all aiding the cinematic style, creating a unified and consistent feel for the film
With secure knowledge of the what happened you cannot help but as a viewer grab control of the situation as The Army and American Airways fail to cope with the escalating chaos.. We spend time with the controllers as they track there targets until they simply disappear not realising the enormity of the situation.. Greengrass creates a feel of dread throughout, There is an ever growing urgency and with the backdrop of the world trade centre in smoke a sense of impending doom as communication breaks down to a bare silence . This is an astoundingly tense pressure cooker of a movie with a realism that pulls you in. Greengrass develops this tension with an intense soundtrack that ticks like a bomb...and a with quick egdy cutting creates an ever growing unease. United 93 is shot entirely with hand held cameras perfectly capturing the realism of the events placing you behind a seat on the doomed plane or in the military command room.. And what makes it more effective is his choice of Casting, throughout no recognized actors or big names..
An uncompromising piece of film making on how a super power fails to cope with unprecedented events and the examination of self preservation
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