Disturbing, profound, superbly crafted is United 93 and more. Just under five years since the tragedy happened on September 11, 2001, filmmakers, in this case Paul Greengrass set out to attempt an accurate portrayal of the events that occurred on this horrific day. It takes someone with heart, dedication and above all else guts to release a film like United 93. Many people are saying its too soon to release a film that is based on an actual American tragedy in which many lost loved ones. My view is when will it be alright, in five more years?
When it comes down to it, five years from September 11 or ten years, it will still be an emotional subject. This film is made for the experience, to pay tribute to those that have died because of this act and to show those who are not knowledgeable of what happened. United 93 was a risk, but Greengrass has made a film that will sure impact audiences and perhaps make them a better American.
United 93 begins with the terrorists preparing for the attack just hours away. Greengrass captures the sense that they are human beings just like all of us, but their intentions are brutal, evil and tasteless. Greengrass also does not make the mistake in making them gimmicky, he simply lays out the facts in the best way his vision can serve. No one can make a 9/11 film one hundred percent accurate, but you can get pretty close with the facts and knowledge you have about it.
Director Paul Greengrass who is not even American, he is British, handles this film with tension and a heavy pour of emotions in the second half. The actors chosen in United 93 is a high point in which they are unknown and some have even made their debut in film. These people are not all that bad and represent a realism rather than Hollywood stars trying to overact their performance. However, this is not a film about academy award performances, its a film about a true story that will always be unforgettable.
United 93 plays out in the present as if this occurred today. It shows the other flights that hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The hijacking in United 93 does not begin until a good hour into the film. Greengrass builds up the mood in the first half of the film to deliver a bigger impact to audiences. One can assume his intentions were to hold the viewers full attention and make them become emotionally involved. Besides that, the direction here is made to show that the passengers unite and fight for survival.
This is a film that we know what will happen, but how it is made and to fully experience it is what United 93 is all about. Anyone sensitive or not can expect to shed tears here. This is a tough film to watch and not what someone would consider entertaining, but it hardly has any flaws as in filmmaking wise. One can argue that the scenes in which the different Traffic Control Centers around the United States is lengthy and should have been cut down. The deal here is that this is a very simple story and this adds more to it in making it a full length feature.
What is presented in this film has nothing to do with politics, its not left, right, democrat, republican, conservative or liberal. Greengrass has made it effectively to not portray the terrorists as demonic beings, but neither as angels. They believe in their acts to be something done for the higher power. Its cowardly acts and these people have an agenda that is disturbing, wrong and even suicide themselves for it. 9/11 is a memory that will never leave an Americans mind and if anything it will make us stronger than ever.
United 93 is a well crafted motion picture. It does not come as a surprise to me that this will be one of the best films of the year and one of the most emotional films of true events. Greengrass who directed Bloody Sunday and The Bourne Supremacy is in peak form here. The film could not have worked without his vision and the solid actors who are hardly actors themselves. Will United 93 be the best film of the year? Its unlikely. However, will United 93 be on this critics top ten of the year list, its more than likely. United 93 is solid filmmaking with a touching subject done with heart and a power of pride.
