It’s been in theaters for a few weeks, but I thought the first dramatic film to take on the daunting task of grappling with what happened on September 11th, 2001, United 93, warranted a critique because I believe it is a film everyone should see and not forget.  For those few of you who may be unfamiliar with what happened that day, the film focuses on the doomed airliner scheduled to fly to San Francisco from Newark that was highjacked by al-Qaeda operatives who intended to run it into the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.  If not for the heroic interference by the passengers aboard, who took it upon themselves to try to take back control of the plane, the highjackers probably would have achieved their objective.

The film is superbly written and directed by Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday & The Bourne Supremacy), who skillfully employs both unknown actors and the actual people involved playing themselves.  Even with the film taking a dramatic turn, as opposed to the docu-drama that appeared on cable a few months back, United 93 doesn’t glorify or over-dramatize any of the events that day, unlike a typical action movie such as Air Force One, to use a film with a somewhat similar plot.  For the viewer, the knowledge that what appears on screen actually happened is enough drama for one sitting. Greengrass uses a simple visual style and pacing to follow the events of that day without tricks or creative storytelling techniques.  He begins with the highjackers preparing for their day and other passengers arriving at the airport and going through security. Watching the security check now gives one chills as we witness the ease with which the Muslim operatives get the necessary equipment to overtake the airplane without a hitch.

Greengrass is also quite adept at introducing all of the characters, from the highjackers to the passengers to the air traffic controllers, with efficiency and is able to highlight a few players with just enough small bits of human interest to make them three-dimensional figures, such as the co-pilot’s description of his family.  The best-drawn character happens to be one played by himself, Ben Sliney, the National Operations Manager who fatefully experienced his first day on the job in a rather dismal baptism.  Many others also played themselves, such as several Air Force personnel, and each were more than adequate.  Sliney comes across as the only human on Earth who took the responsibility upon himself to try to keep the country safe and secure and cursed the military for not being more proactive.  He was also the first to figure out that the first plane to hit the first World Trade Center tower was not a small plane as initially reported by CNN but one the size of an airliner.  His order to shut down the air transportation system over the U.S. was both gutsy and heroic.  

I have to admit that I got pretty emotional watching the film, especially as the passengers on board call their loved ones to wish them goodbye.  I was living in Manhattan that day, and I was as stunned as anyone watching the second plane hit the second tower and even more horrified when the towers collapsed.  The strongest memories for me were in the weeks that followed when the posters and signs with pictures of the missing hung on practically every light pole in the city and by memorials set up in gathering places like Union Square or the streets adjacent to Ground Zero with more candles and flowers than I’ve ever seen anywhere before or since.

United 93 only depicts the particulars of one of the four planes to wreak havoc that day.  Of course, we’ll never really know what actually occurred or the thoughts that went through the minds of passengers, crew, and highjackers, but as a piece of visual history, this film is so craftily made that it should be considered one of the pieces of entertainment regarding the events of 9/11 that acts as an official remembrance.  I’m not sure how much Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center or any of the others now being prepared for release will be a cathartic experience, but I know the experience of sitting in a dark theater watching United 93 will stay with you forever.  In the end, the film will wind up doing two things: help release the pent-up anger, fear, and despair that still lingers even after almost five years and act as a vivid reminder of what happened that day for those who may soon forget.  In order to keep the same violent acts from happening again on our soil, we must all be aware that those who died on September 11th, 2001 are not only heroes but also bookmarks to remind us to turn back the pages of history and reread a grievous and sobering chapter in the history of our great country.

United 93 is still being shown in select theaters.  Running time: 111 minutes. Released through Universal Pictures.  Rated R and may not be appropriate for kids under thirteen, but if they can stand the troubling nature of the film, it may do them a lot of good in the long run (if accompanied by an appropriate adult).  For everyone else, it’s a must-see.

Rich Burlingham