A drama that tells the story of the passengers and crew, their families on the ground and the flight controllers who watched in dawning horror as United Airlines Flight 93 became the fourth hijacked plane on the day of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil: September 11, 2001. 'United 93' recreates the doomed trip in actual time, from takeoff to hijacking to the realization by those onboard that their plane was part of a coordinated attack unfolding on the ground beneath them. The film attempts to understand the abject fear and courageous decisions of those who--over the course of just 90 minutes--transformed from a random assembly of disconnected strangers into bonded allies who confronted an unthinkable situation.

The big question that everyone has been asking about this movie is whether it is too early for it as the events of 9/11 aren’t even five years old yet. I don’t think the movie truly answers that question because for some people especially if you had a family member killed on that dreadful day this movie may be too early fifty years from now. The pain for some is too fresh so we have to ask a different question, a more relevant question in my opinion and that is did the movie do honor and justice to those brave individuals on that ill fated flight and the answer to that question is a resounding yes. The movie didn’t sensationalize any of the events of that tragic day rather it sat down and gave us a blow for blow retelling of what did transpire and the bravery the passengers of flight 93 showed. That’s what makes the movie work, that’s what make the movie worth seeing and that’s what make the movie enjoyable at the same time making you uncomfortable while seeing it.

The reason why it is uncomfortable is simple it is because this movie isn’t fiction, no matter how we try to console ourselves about it and what it means this movie is fact and is very hard to watch because you know what is going to happen and there is no hope that the movie might get the Hollywood ending. The fact makes it hard to watch, there is no escapism which is a big element in most movies, this was something we saw happen to us all, we are American and it was America that was attacked, we were attacked. So while the movie is worthwhile, I wouldn’t call it important like I have seen others have done because the events were already important to us, it was very hard to watch at times because there is no fiction to escape to and all we are left with is cold hard facts and reality.

My biggest problem with the movie wasn’t what everyone else might think or feel before seeing it or after seeing it for that matter, my beef had to with the director and his style. I really don’t like Paul Greengrass as a director not because he doesn’t do a good job in his direction of a movie which was done fantastically in United 93 but because of the style he has with his camera work. The shaky camera work might be a fun idea to play with and use for a few scenes but when it is done for an entire movie you almost feel like you need a barf bag half way through the movie. It is a sickening way to watch a movie and in my opinion that is reason enough not to do it. Granted the camera work was more fitting a movie like United 93 than say his earlier movies like Bourne Supremacy but just like Bourne the camera work at times takes away from what is happening on the screen and makes it less effective and less appealing to sit through for a second viewing. For the love of all that is good Paul drop your silly cinematic style and go back to what works and doesn’t make your audiences queasy at times during the viewing of it.

I liked the casting because there is no real big names amongst any of the cast which is fitting. I don’t think the movie would have worked with a star cast in any of the roles like a Tom Hanks or a Denzel Washington. You want the actors to fly under the radar because you don’t want to associate them with anything else they have done. I wonder if the families had any part in the casting, like choosing who they thought looked and acted like the love one they lost. It was great that the families were on board because this movie wouldn’t have worked without their support. We need to know they accept the movie and that they are ok with it so we can accept it and be ok with it. A great real life dramatization but not as important or moving as some would have you believe, much like Passion of the Christ you take out of the movie what you brought into it this time at least there was some story and not so much brutality and sensationalism.

Grade: B+