United until death

I went to see the film United 93 and before I get into reviewing the film, I want to say that I went into this movie as objective as possible. I did my best to imagine that this was just another Hollywood action movie and not a film that whose trailer alone caused sobbing and yelling from audience members. One chain in NYC even pulled the trailer when upset moviegoers complained. Needless to say, the objection thing didn't work; not for long anyway.

Director Paul Greengrass (yes, that's his real name), director of The Bourne Supremacy and Bloody Sunday, has created a taut, moving, and visceral film that pays homage to the passengers of the ill-fated flight. The flight is one of four that was hijacked less than 5 years ago on September 11, 2001. Lest you think Greengrass was cavalier in making the film, he secured the blessings of each family who had a loved one on the flight. Once he had each family's blessing, he heavily researched for the film. He used transcripts of calls made by people on the plane, cockpit recordings, The 9/11 Commission Report (a must-have by the way), and anything else he could get his hands on. This film is the real deal. It's told in real time and Greengrass cuts from the commotion on the plane to the confusion on the ground as the realization of what is happening comes to light.

Most of the actors in the film are unknown; very unkown. However, wherever possible, Greengrass used real-life standins. For example, the guy who portrays Capt. Jason Dahl is an actual United pilot. Ben Sliney, the manager of the FAA, plays himself; actual stewardesses are used and the character of Mark Bingham, the passenger anxious to get the revolt started, is played by Cheyenne Jackson, a gay male. Bingham's mom announced that her son Mark was gay after the tragedy occurred.

The most shocking thing about the film is not what's happening in the air but what's happening on the ground. The military, FAA, and communications centers deal with conflicting information, no information, and the right information too late. It's disheartening how unprepared ground control really was. It's also disheartening that the revolt in the air didn't start sooner. However, once the passengers realize the terrorist with the bomb doesn't have an actual bomb, it's anything goes; and it does.

The movie is disturbing and I mentioned earlier that I tried to watch it objectively, however, Greengrass has created such a vivid depiction of the flight that objectivity turns into raw emotion and horror and doesn't go back. At one point I found myself asking, 'What's the point of this?' The point is to present a film that is a testament to the passengers who didn't take the hijacking lying down and Greengrass delivers in that respect; tenfold. While we don't know exactly what happened in that plane, we do know that the passengers foiled the attempts of the terrorists to crash into the White House. The Americans struck back with a valiant attempt at freedom.

peace out,

paul