You know going in that this movie is not going to have a happy ending.

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists highjacked several commercial airlines in the United States and flew them into major U.S. landmarks. Planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. One flight, United 93, did not reach its destination, which was believed to be either the White House or the Capitol. The terrorists’ attempt to destroy one of those locations was thwarted by a number of passengers on that doomed flight and this film tells their story, as well as the story of the air traffic controllers dealing with the highjackings and the military attempting to intercept these flights.

“United 93” is a compelling story and writer/director Paul Grengrass tells it very well, using a cast of mostly no name actors and some of the real people who were on the ground at the time, while also using some of the actual dialogue that was on record from that day. The film has a very, “you are there” approach, which gives the film a sizable impact on the viewer. It is hard not to feel a creeping sense of dread as the film continues on its tragic path. As the terrorists communicate with each other about when the “right time’ to attack is, the viewer is left with the feeling of climbing an interminably high first hill on a roller coaster, only the ending is nowhere near as exhilarating as a roller coaster ride. The ending of this film, like the ending in real life, is brutal and abrupt.

While there are a lot of things that this movie does well, there is a major problem with the film and it is the cinematography. Greengrass uses a hand-held approach to filming that is both dizzying and nauseating. He has used it in his previous two films, “Bloody Sunday” and “The Bourne Supremacy,” but it makes this film incredibly hard to watch. In smaller doses, the sense of “being there” would still have been achieved without making the viewer feeling physically ill. That may have been what he was trying to do, but by doing so, he made me leave this movie not ruminating on the state of the world, the definition of the word ‘hero’ and the terrible miscommunication between the government, the military and the FAA on that terrible day, but wondering if I would make it to my car or not.

It really was that bad.

“United 93” definitely connects with the viewer and there is no question that the material is dealt with appropriately and reverently. It is not too early to make a film about Sept. 11 and audiences are proving that it is not too early to view a film about that day. I just wish that the camera work was a little steadier. It would have taken nothing away from the film and would have left me in my seat at the end of the film and not rushing out to get some fresh air once the credits began.

***

login to post comments