Greengrass Pulls It Off - Powerful Historical Drama

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2006)

OK, there has been plenty of speculation and opinion and probably a lot of comments written here by folks who haven't even seen the film yet..Yes, it premiered here last night and I had to go see... I found it is a powerful re-enactment that doesn't dwell on much or on any particular character... It is faithful to the time-line and the events of 9-11-01, even if some of what takes places on board the flight in the film does so out of speculation... What else can a film-maker do? Greengrass, who has done excellent work with the Jason Bourne thriller "The Bourne Supremacy", is the right man for the job here. He is smart enough to know NOT to tinker too much with history; to NOT cast this film with "big stars"; to not cause too many distractions as the film moves along.
What can I say? We all know what the outcome is. We all have our own ideas about what took place on board United 93. We all remember 9-11-01 like it was yesterday. This film honors those on the doomed flight for what we all have pretty much accepted as fact: The passengers, or victims themselves caused the mission to fail. The simplicity of the director's style, coupled with edgy, subtle performances throughout, will cause you to again stop and think about 9-11-01, most likely for a long time after you see this film. Maybe a lot of us don't want to keep doing that. Nevertheless, despite the fact that there's a buck to be made here, this work fulfills the idea that some of the stories of 9-11 can and need to be told on the big screen... It is powerful, painful, and prideful at the same time. Bring Kleenex.