Deep. Amazing. Troubling. Depressing. Wonderful. Wow. Along with gushing tears, these are a few of the words I heard leaving a showing of United 93 last night. I even heard the murmur of ‘propaganda’ from two older gentlemen who could only be described as stereotypical modern day hippies. No matter what your feeling about where you stand in the war on terror, unless you have no heart or have bought into the radical leftist conspiracy that September 11th didn’t actually happen, you will be moved by this movie.

As for myself, I knew from the reviews I read of the early pre-screenings that even if I didn’t see United 93, I would, in some way, support the film. Up until yesterday afternoon, my thought was to simply buy tickets but not watch the film. I knew my wife was too sensitive to see the film, so, I took the opportunity last night when she was out of town, to go and see this amazing film.

First, it is important for everyone to know that 10% of the box office revenue of United 93 will go the September 11th memorial fund. For this reason alone, I know many people who are buying extra tickets for their friends and family, even if they won’t see the film.

The Objections
Before I can honestly review the film, I must address two of the critical objections to United 93. On one hand, people say it is too soon to release United 93, that the wounds are still too fresh. This is dispelled by the comments of those who have been most effected by this film, the families of those who died on that flight. David Beamer, the father of Todd Beamer summed it up perfectly when he said: In this case and at this time, it is appropriate to get a dose of reality about this war and the real enemy we face. It is not too soon for this story to be told, seen and heard. But it is too soon for us to become complacent. It is too soon for us to think of this war in only national terms. We need to be mindful that this enemy, who made those holes in our landscape and caused the deaths of some 3,000 of our fellow free people, has a vision to personally kill or convert each and every one of us. This film reminds us that this war is personal.

The other objection to United 93 is that it is simply political propaganda. Anyone who sees this film realizes that the only side of the cause that is truly glorified are the actions of the people on the airplane. There is even one small piece of the movie that is critical of President Bush in the trouble the FAA chief had in contacting him. Unlike what one may read on some radical leftist hate websites, this portrayal really was a reflection of the fog of war and how the actions on this day truly caught the nation off guard.

There is, of course, the third objection that this movie is simply propping up a lie and September 11th didn’t happen or was an ‘inside’ job. This is primarily found as promoted by hate groups like the democrat underground and frankly, is so absurd, it isn’t worth any bandwidth addressing.

The Film
United 93 lacks big name movie stars, but this is no made for TV fluff piece. This, in my opinion, was a brilliant decision by the production company in that it will be very rare to find ’big names’ in Hollywood whose ego would not try to overshadow the film.

United 93 was written and directed by Paul Greengrass, a British filmmaker known for not only cutting edge documentaries like Bloody Sunday, but extraordinary films such as The Bourne Supremacy.

United 93 is an extremely well-made film. Although it focuses on the events about the onboard United 93, half of the film recreates that morning from the perspective of the airline and various government agencies as they watch the events unfold.

The fog of war is achieved as the film jumps between air traffic control watching radar screens, to news coverage, to those receiving the infamous cell phone calls.

Greengrass enhances the authenticity of these scenes by casting many of the real life characters as themselves, including national operations manager of the FAA, Ben Sliney. Other people involved with the actual events on September 11th were hired as technical advisors.

The acting on United 93 is superb. Although the actors are not well known or non-actors, none ’overplayed’ their roles. Instead, the acting is very subtle and properly reflects how this situation was different than any of those effected by that day had ever experienced.

I am also quite pleased that the terrorists are not portrayed as sympathetic heroes in United 93, a recent fault of many Hollywood films. They are portrayed as they were, murderers.

The Rating
Some comments have been said as to why United 93 is rated ‘R’. There is less violence than many PG-13 movies and very few people would find the language too objectionable. My feeling is the rating for United 93 is born of the fact that this is about a real life tragedy. These aren’t characters dying, real people died and are reflected in the acting.

I feel that many people would and should take teenagers to see this movie, if for anything, to counteract the pop-culture attitude that too often defines current history. While this may not fit with the ‘R’ rating, it will be for each family to decide if the emotional impact of this film is something their family can handle.

Conclusion
Only history will show if how we reacted to September 11th was the right thing, but without a doubt, the actions of those on United 93 were the first indication that we will not be complacent, we will not hide our heads in the sand, and we will never give up.

This movie is Oscar worthy, but sadly, doesn't fit the pattern of what Hollywood currently celebrates. Still, this film will touch more people and last longer in America's lexicon than trash like Munich and Syrana.




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older