United 93 Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

United 93

United 93 is an absolutely brilliant film but I'll almost certainly never watch it again.

I can picture the HOLLYWOOD version of this story: Todd Beamer is played by Tom Cruise or someone like that. 'Let's Roll' is the poster's tagline (the poster, by the way, is a big plane only rather than black the sillhouette is red white and blue) and the last 15 minutes is an action film in which Beamer grabs the controls but cant pull out of the dive in time.

This is NOT Paul Greengrass' film.

United 93 is a deeply serious, utterly real reconstruction in almost real time of not just the events on flight 93 but those surrounding it in the various control rooms and in New York.

One of Greengrass' masterstrokes is to have many people, including Ben Sliney, who on his first day in a new job had to deal with a terrorist emergency and shut down the sky over the whole of the United States, play themselves. The cast, for the most part, use documented words. Much of the conversation the day was recorded and is quoted verbatim in the film, the conversations between the passengers and crew on 93 are largely improvised.

Every member of the cast is excellent and none are known faces. This aids the film immesurably as having one person you recognise would irrevocably pop the bubble, destroy the almost documentary authenticity Greengrass creates in the instatnt you go 'oh look, it's that guy from that thing'.

United 93 is a visceral, difficult experience, it's a film i reacted to physically. First is the nausea as the crew and passengers embark on 93 as if it's a normal day and the air traffic controllers around the US do their jobs, not knowing what you know.

Then came the tears. Twice. Well, I say twice. I cried first when the planes hit the twin towers (the original news footage is used again here and despite endless repeats it has lost none of its power) and I spent much of the last 15 minutes, beginning with the phone calls to loved ones made from 93 (and here enacted according to transcripts) and ending with a black screen wiping my eyes.

It's not entertaining, and shouldn't be. In time i think United 93 will stand alongside Schindler's List as one of cinema's best and most upsetting historical documents and it is a testament to how well Greengrass and his cast and crew have pulled off what seemed to me impossible at this stage that I never want to revisit this film.

Horrific

I watched this film the entire time feeling as though I wanted to be sick; of all the things I have ever seen this film is the most horrific.

The film displays with such startling clarity the movements of that fateful day and puts you clearly into the position of those passengers who knew that they were about to die.

Those who showed extraordinary courage in attempting to prevent yet another catastrophic attack. It leaves you feeling chilled to the core and unable to think of anything else.

All united

This film gives one opinion, due to the evidence found, of what might have happen on board 'United 93,' the aircraft that was brought down by its passengers on the fateful day, 9/11. For the wife and I, this was one of the most suspenseful, tear-jearing, anxious films we have ever seen. Ok, so it has its flaws, but to know that this is based on true evidence, you can only but imaging what the people on board that plane that day went through. The ending is truly heart-breaking and only the most hardened heart would not feel something for those people and their families that day.

Powerful, sad and scary

For some the jury is still out on what exactly happened with Flight 93. Regardless of whether you believe any of the conspiracy theories this film is a very message of what went wrong with that day. The use of unknowns and in some cases using the real flight controller Ben Sliney who had without doubt the worst first day at work ever is a brilliant piece of casting. The story is everything. Although you know how it will transpire when watching you will almost be willing it won't happen. Excellent acting, superb editing, brilliant use of music Paul Greengrass has made a film that will linger in the mind well after the credits roll. We will never know the exact circumstances of how Flight 93 was lost but just watching this will give you the desire never to know the full horror. The scene that sticks in my mind the most is the scene when both the terrorists and the passengers are praying to God at the same time - the first in Islamic Arabic, the second in Christian English. All wanting salvation, all wanting an answer. For me it was probably a strong contender for film of 2006.

Crashed at 10.03 or 10.06

Officially stated United 93 crashed at 10.03 although the seismic evidence available independently from the US Government says that the plane crashed at 10.06. Why would there be a difference over something that is so easily established?

Could it be the rumours of the United 93 being shot down be true? I think that rather changes one's view of the whole movie.

Dissapointing

A very disappointing low budget film - Much preffered Flight 93!

Don't bother with this one rent Flight 93!

All Of Us United

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The first movie to be released at the cinema about the 9/11 attacks was bound to court controversy. Would be it be a Jerry Bruckhiemer flag waving spectacular? I for one thought that United-93 was going to be a terrible film about an event that happened too recently to make a movie about it and about an event where no one knows for sure what actually happened But after reading good reviews for it, I decided to give it a chance. Boy was I in for a surprise.

I'm British but I went through 9/11 too. I didn't lose friends or family, I just watched it on TV and sat shocked and horrified. I think on 9/11 everyone with a heart was an American that day.

Watching the movie, with its familiar images of ordinary life (people waiting to board a plane or aboard the plane itself) and the terrible (the twin towers smoking and the smoke rising from the Pentagon) It cant help but stir up the emotions of that day. Watching the movie forces you to relive that event and also puts you, once the movie hits its climatic and stomach-churning third act, in the shoes of the doomed passengers The first two acts are about the control centres and the reaction from the military. The normal rapid fire speech of aircraft controllers gradually is replaced by sheer panic as no-one knows what to do. The army struggle with Rules of Engagement and with getting enough planes in the air to protect American cities from an unknown and utterly inconceivable plane. An especially chilling moment is when the report of a plane comes in that it was hijacked, minutes after it has already crashed into the WTC The final act is aboard the hijacked United-93. The passengers are shocked and horrified by the four hijackers who take over the plane with plans to hit the capitol building. The shock and violence of this initial attack is horrifying (as it should be) and then the passengers rally and strike back.

The passengers are hard to pick out if you don't know the subject. Tom Burnett and Todd Beamer are there obviously but the rest are harder to be sure about. As an actual movie, United 93 lacks characterisation but I don't feel that this is something that the movie left out by accident but by design. These are real people. Their motivations are to be saved in that awful day.

Some heart-breaking moments exist where the passengers call home to say goodbye. Its hard not to put yourself in the same shoes as those people. What is it you say if you KNOW your about to die? There is also a nice parallel drawn with the prayers of the passengers inter cut with those of the terrorists The final ten minutes see the passengers fight back and 'roll' the trolley down the aisles to try and break into the plane. According to the movie, they come very close to the controls but never actually retake the plane. The last gasp desperate struggle to survive is played out with rising speed and tension, the sonic battery of the noise of the terrorists praying and the desperate shouts of the passengers (If we don't do it we'll die) make the last ten minutes a total sensual assault.

The final shot of the movie is totally unforgettable. One of the most explicitly horrifying images I have ever seen in a movie and I'm not sure I will ever forget it.

And that is, I think, the point of this movie. Afterwards I sat there utterly crushed, tears coming silently and coming very close to just sobbing openly. Afterwards I turned to my friend I was with and we hugged in an attempt to recover from that movie and that event and those memories.

But it is important that we do not forget 'Whats past is prologue'

kkkkkkkkkkkk

ddddddddddddddddddddddd

Truely Brilliant Filming - truely awful real life events

I had only heard outstanding things about this film, and read a lot about the real time documentary style of filming. I saw it last night in a packed cinema, very mixed audience, both young and old. By the end of the film I didn't see a dry eye in the cinema, every one had a tear in their eye. It is a very emotional, very real, very true, very powerful account of what really did happen on that eventful day. The film begines with the terrorists praying in a hotel room before they begin their evil journey. We follow the events unfolding from the control towers, the and the army, as commanders, and heads watch open mouthed as plains just dissapear from their radars, one plain is hijacked, then they hear another one is hijacked, then another one, and finally on board Flight 93, the evil begins as the terrorists take over the plain. Some very very moving moments as passengers call family and loved ones to say goodbye, a group of male passengers get together to try and over power the terrorists but we all know what happens in the end. I truely brilliant yet very disturbing film that I would highly recommend as a must see.

Terrifying

Excuse me 'customer from the UK' but what you said is ridiculous. You can't believe that towers fell after burning for only one hour?? Not to mention all the rest of it tht you 'can't believe' THE FIRES BURNED FOR AN HOUR AT OVER 2000 DEGREES. THESE WERE NOT 'NORMAL' FIRES. THESE FIRES WERE CAUSED BY HUNDREDS OF GALLONS OF JET FUEL EXPLODING AND BURNING - CAUSING THE INTENSE HEAT WHICH LEAD TO THE BUILDINGS METAL SUPPORTS TO BUCKLE UNDER SUCH HEAT. THE REASON BUILDINGS LIKE THAT HAVE NEVER COLLAPSED LIKE THIS BEFORE IS THAT NO ONE HAS EVER FLOWN 2 AREOPLANES INTO THEM BEFORE.

I cannot believe the ignorance of some people. I mean you are entitled to your own 'conspiracy theories' but when they reach the point of such ridiculousness, then you should keep it to yourself. The people on flight 93 deserve their story to be told. Some of the people took the brave and terrifying decision to take a stand against the terrorists under the most extreme circumstances. The movie kept to the facts from the evidence we have (from the phone calls between the victims and people on the ground) and the CCTV footage at the airport etc. I watched with dread knowing the fate of those poor people. Try to ignore ridiculous comments and watch the movie.