United 93

I am aware of the sensitive nature of this film and subject matter. September 11, 2001 has filled the internet with everything from tribute websites of the victims to things like (unfortunately) conspiracy websites at the other end of the spectrum. I do not want to forget 9/11 and therefore this film is important to me. I do not wish to comment much about 9/11 because that is not my intent. I would like to point out that this review is about how well Paul Greengrass did in preserving the nature of this tragedy in the decade that it happened. The film seems so realistic to me because of the cinematography, editing, design and casting. While I do understand that some small cinematic licenses have been taken, I think that the filmmakers’ attention to accuracy and detail is important for future generations.

The director of “The Bourne Supremacy” and "The Bourne Ultimatum" deserved his Oscar nomination for "United 93". Greengrass took the realistic approach, as he does with his films, and succeeded in creating a time capsule of the events of Flight 93. The cinematography is what makes this film the most realistic. The light shining into the plane does not look artificial at all. We hardly ever see the plane from the outside and when we do, it is a real United airliner. As the audience, we feel like we are a passenger on the flight. There is a lot of zooms, shots that are out of focus and the camera is almost always handheld. This is typical of a Greengrass film and that makes him the perfect director to portray the realism this film needs. Another factor that adds realism is the reaction of those on the plane to the aircraft descending and ascending. Other films/documentaries such as "Flight 93" show the characters easily moving around. "United 93" shows those on the airplane powerless when the terrorists make rapid changes in altitude. The Oscar nominated editing should also be mentioned because there is a good deal of cutting, sometimes in fast succession. This adds speed and tension. The end shot is probably the best in the whole film. When making the film “Cloverfield” (produced by J.J. Abrams), the filmmakers of that movie used this shot as inspiration for their creation of a helicopter crash. Because “United 93” has already shown actual footage of people dying when we see the second plane crash into the Trade tower, the death of all the people on the plane must be handled sensitively but also be concluding and heroic in nature. The final shot of the movie simply consists of a view out the cockpit windows as the ground gets closer and closer until you can almost see the dirt in between the plants. The film suddenly cuts to black. There is no explosion or sound other than the music and by the end of the shot, we no longer see the window frames. The feelings you have while sitting quietly in the dark after this shot are that of awe and sorrow. You may have even been a little convinced that the plan of the passengers had a chance of success. The ending is a cliffhanger but Greengrass wants us to focus on the passengers and what they did, not the aftermath of the crash. The cinematography, editing and Greengrass’ realistic direction makes this film special. He is able to professionally portray of the events of that morning as they went from normal to unusual to bad to worse. If someone were to watch this movie without the knowledge of the events of that day, they might have an experience that mirrors what all of us went through because we could believe what we were seeing.

The design and casting of the film are important in depicting realism. There is a lot of white in the film that we see and the richness of any other colors is absent. The reason for this is because we all watched the news at some point on that day and the way the film is designed mirrors the way we watched the events of 9/11 unfold. The air traffic controller’s room and the FAA feel real but the most realistic set is the United plane. I have flown in one and when compared to other movies that take place on a plane, this film is the best in making you believe the cameras are in an actual aircraft high above the world. In the other aforementioned documentaries/TV movies about this story, everything looks quite fake when compared to this film. The casting is very well done in that the passengers on the plane look like ordinary people. Actor Christian Clemenson has portrayed Tom Burnett in both this film and in "Flight 93", which were made the same year. His is my favorite performance in this movie. Even the hijackers look like men rather than villains. Actor Khalid Abdalla's performance stands out (Greengrass would use him again in "Green Zone") and the other three actors playing the hijackers did their jobs well also. I love how many of the cast members are the real people or not actors. I can’t believe that Ben Sliney agreed to be in this movie as he reenacts his first day as FAA operations manager. The choice of cast and the design of this film are elements that assist quite well in portraying realism.

I remember well what I was doing as a first year university student in Idaho before I heard the news on September 11. It was an ordinary day in the states and “United 93” depicts this well. The movie was very close to being nominated for Best Picture. I think it is the best movie from 2006 because despite how good "Rocky Balboa" was, the realism of "United 93" is very noteworthy. I have also placed this film very high of my list for my favorite films based on true stories. I love this movie very much in that it depicts a moment of extreme heroism unbeknownst to a confused and panicked world. The direction, editing, design and casting are the reasons for the film’s realistic feel. I am glad this movie was made because there are young adults and children today that were not alive on 9/11 or were too young. They don’t know what it feels like to live in a world where commercial planes are not intentionally flown into targets. This movie and its realism are important for them. When they are old enough to see this film, they will understand the extent of the tragedy that happened on that sunny morning.

4.5 Stars out of 5