If you're afraid, you've been ill-advised

Rating: Null/10 (28 October 2006)

Let's get one thing out of the way: I take seriously the attacks on New York, Washington D.C., and the skies over America - and I have not forgotten or mellowed over the last five years. Nor do I have patience for any one, Oliver Stone included, "dramatizing" or "fictionalizing" the facts of a historic moment. For this reason first, but not solely, I support "United 93" and Paul Greengrass' super-effort to make the facts and emotions of that day as true as possible within the confines of film.
Does this mean his film is without Art? Not at all, but it DOES mean the only artistic devices he used were to assist the sense of reality that existed for those people during that time. I've heard "complaints" about the use of a shaking camera, but that is ONLY done as the tension and violence occur. It was the RIGHT thing to do for the film at that time, and a viewer's inner ear problems are of no concern to me. I want an artist to take me places I haven't been. If it's uncomfortable, so be it.
I VERY MUCH appreciated the total lack of recognizable actors. It was a brave decision on the director's part. "Selling" the film would be much more difficult, if not the Kiss of Death, in our market. Greengrass was willing to stick by his artistic and story telling intentions. And, because he did, we are gifted with a powerful, accurate, straight ahead, non-gimmicky, emotional recreation of a terrible moment. This is a highly SPECIFIC film, not one loaded with parallels and symbols. If you are AVOIDING it because you've heard it's VERY bloody, etc., it's not. You've been ill-advised. It IS very tense. THAT it is. It is also very sad, and the unknown actors need to be given credit for that. If I remember correctly, Greengrass also used original participants, such as in the control towers, for the added accuracy and feel of time and place. It must've been difficult for those people.
I doubt "United 93" was easy for anyone, and it remains a challenge for us. Thankfully. I'd hate to think someone DID find it easy.