Emotionally powerful, but not necessarily great

Rating: 6/10 (13 September 2006)

A very emotionally powerful finale does not make this a perfect movie, or even a great one, though it is an important one. For the most part, it felt more like a documentary than a fictional, creatively crafted film, which works, I guess, but made it confusing and even boring at times. The beginning hour or so, which focused mostly on the air traffic controllers, FAA, and military, was the prime culprit of this, and I felt like a was watching a doc much more than a film. The scenes which focus on the flight itself are by far the strongest, because it feels very real, raw, and moving. The shaky cam works best here, because it feels like you're part of the action, rather than watching it. Unfortunately, not enough time is spent developing the story on the flight, and it feels shortchanged by the end of it. The mix of unknown actors and people playing themselves makes it very realistic, though not necessarily better. The ending is very emotional, perhaps the most of any film I've seen, but it doesn't make the entire film better - just the ending. Overall, a good film that is very realistic, but also overrated.