What lieth beneath

Rating: 2/10 (11 October 2006)

United 93 was well done in some respects but that is only skin deep. There were subtle but disturbing things about how the movie presented things. To begin with, they really presented the terrorists in a sympathetic light. The lead terrorist is a reluctant participant who even takes the time to call home and say "I love you" before attempting to murder hundreds of people. The facts on these terrorists do not support this in the least. They trained for months if not years. They were fanatics who willingly signed up for this. Their views told them that they were about to enter paradise (40 virgins included) and that they would even be able to have 20 select friends and family join them in the afterlife (sounds like a sweet deal to me). Video footage of Mohammed Atta (the head terrorist) shows him smiling at the prospect in his preparations to carry this out.
United 93 also EMPHASIZED problems in how the government responded to this baffling and unthinkable attack. How many times did they show a lack of resources or a lack of communication (over and over). From the standpoint of 20/20 hindsight it is easy to criticize. The movie is harsh in its portrayal and hardly cuts people any slack. What president has EVER ordered a hijacked plane to be shot down? Blame blame blame the administration but portray the terrorists as sincere, devout Muslims who really only want to be true to their convictions and they still have some humanity about them. Show the terrorists briefly attack passengers with minimal blood but then show rebellious passengers bludgeon a terrorist to death graphically as they pounce on him like a pack of wolves. Show passengers pray Our Father as they face death but show the Muslims praying to their god at the same time as though there is some kind of perverse parallel or equivalence.
United 93 clearly has an agenda behind it. Even the DVD documentary is telling when it portrays a woman expressing her anger, not at the terrorists of course, but at the administration for what it failed to do in this historic and unprecedented attack on American soil. I think it is sad that the makers of this film used this tragedy to foist propaganda. It is hardly faithful to what happened that day and any positives are eclipsed by the negatives of Hollywood orthodoxy.