Thankfully, Paul Greengrass' United 93 needs no such justification, as it is a masterpiece in every way imaginable, a stunning and gut-wrenching film that makes a case for being the best American film of the decade and the most powerful piece of cinema since Schindler's List (1993). The comparison is a convenient one both thematically and in terms of quality, the major difference being the amount of time between the event and the film honoring it.
The story of the passengers of United 93 is a unique one in world history when you consider that in the middle of this massive event that has been dissected in every way imaginable by a media desperate for answers, there exists this small pocket of mystery into which we can only glimpse. Upon learning that their hijacking was part of a larger plot and that the plane was not going to land safely, that they were in fact doomed, they took the opportunity to call their families and tell them they loved them.
At the same time they told them of a brewing plan to overtake the terrorists in a last-ditch effort to save not only their lives, but the lives of the intended target. So, with Todd Beamer's "Let's roll," they bum-rushed the terrorists, falling short of saving their own lives, but succeeding in crashing the plane harmlessly in a field in Pennsylvania, far from the White House. For that deed they are, beyond the shadow of a doubt, some of the greatest heroes in American history.
Still, despite all we know about September 11, there's no way to know for sure how things transpired on that plane. We can only speculate, connecting the dots of cell phone calls and what little hard data we have to build a mosaic of what happened, but perhaps that's for the best. There are too few heroes these days.
But for a film version of the flight, that mosaic is precisely what Paul Greengrass had to build, largely from the information at hand and interviews with the family members of the victims, and partly from his imagination. In doing so, he eschews numerous screenwriting techniques of exposition and character development and instead focuses on the mundane conversations that exist every day on flights all over the country.
Article comments
1 - Casey Lunkley
Anyone who reads the 9/11 Commission's Report and compares it to United 93 can come to the conclusion pretty quickly that this was a money-making machine, and not some "brave" crusade from a director.
And I have a hard time believing you gave it the title of "best film in a decade" without a heavy bias on the subject matter.
2 - Lucas McNelly
if you read the review, you see that i didn't do that at all.
the title was not mine, it was added by the powers that be. i said it "makes a case for being the best American film of the decade".
3 - Michael J. West
Casey, did you see United 93?
4 - Casey Lunkley
Lucas, I did read the review. Three quarters of your review revolves around emotion, and what happened on 9/11.
And yes, Michael, I saw the movie. Though, I didn't pay for it. (Shh!)
5 - RogerMDillon
You wrote it was too soon for you to see the movie, Casey. Guess your aticle was just a lot of hot air.
6 - Casey
I saw the movie after I wrote the article, genius.