UNITED 93: an objective film review

[spilok 1,136]

I haven't yet seen this film.BUT............I am all for ANYTHING that prevents complacency in this country.We must not forget the horrific tragedy that befell New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. If we do not remember the history, we are destined to repeat it. The ANGER must never be calmed; the lessons must be LEARNED, and we must do WHATEVER it takes to prevent it from ever happening again.That's my $.02 worth..............."LET'S ROLL"!

[LAdamson 240]

It's a half hour later, and my stomach as well as my wife's, is still in tightly twisted knots. It's as though the wind has been knocked out of me. And we're not the only ones. The complete theater fell dead silent during the closing credits...And how do I FEEL about this movie??? I FEEL that anyone who loves their country should see it! I FEEL that it should be a requirement in future classrooms! I believe it's the most serious docudrama to come along in this new century!I FEEL that all those, who have not seen this film, should simply keep their mouths shut, until they are more educated! It's a 180 degree reversal from the typical overdone Hollywood blood & guts film.We're seeing a drama of real people, the human spirit, and the resolve we need to prevent future scenarios such as this.Do yourself a favor, and see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!L.Adamson

[Guest Charlie]

I, too, just got back home after seeing it.When the closing credits began, everyone sat stunned and silent. But within a minute or two conversations started up throughout the theater. I heard a couple coming down the isle behind me and the woman was audibly sobbing. They paused by my seat and asked me what I thought. My answer was the same as yours, Larry

[btacon 1,801]

Wow Dave...just Braun's opinion here, but I think your stance is naive and a bit extreme.This film, according to everything that I have read so far, is a historical reteling of Flight 93, to the best of their ability, and in as real time as possible.You may choose to ignore history, and that is your perogative. But I think it is unfair to suggest that those who seek to understand history are participating in an "obsenity". Your posting reminds me very much of the two recent episodes of South Park, where the residents bury their heads in the sand to avoid seeing the cartoons."Those who choose to ignore history, are doomed to repeat it"Regards,bt

[Guest saudi_777]

>Wow Dave...just Braun's opinion here, but I think your stance>is naive and a bit extreme.>>This film, according to everything that I have read so far, is>a historical reteling of Flight 93, to the best of their>ability, and in as real time as possible.>>You may choose to ignore history, and that is your perogative.> But I think it is unfair to suggest that those who seek to>understand history are participating in an "obsenity". Your>posting reminds me very much of the two recent episodes of>South Park, where the residents bury their heads in the sand>to avoid seeing the cartoons.>>"Those who choose to ignore history, are doomed to repeat it">>Regards,>>btThis is, so far, the best post I've read in this thread.Regards,

[Guest jmfabio]

It did happen! In 1943 John Ford (movie producer) then a Lt. Cdr. produced an Oscar winning "documentary" Called "December 7th". It utililized both actual footage from the attack and studio footage to tell the story.And let's not forget the movie "With the Marines at Tarawa," which won an Academy award in 1944, the Year following the bloody battle for the island. This movie which consisted of combat footage was the first to show footage of dead Americans.Too soon?Or a reminder of what is at stake?My $.02.Joe

[Guest drobson]

And, if anyone is interested in knowing, the explanation for the removal of the thread in the Outer Marker forum has been posted.I guess some conclusions were reached without knowing the reason. :-(Darrell

[Guest thedoggg]

I never even considered seeing this. But now after reading this review and the posts that followed it. I may see it after all if only for the aviation part of it. I mean we all now the story anyway. Watching this doen't change anything that happened.

[LAdamson 240]

> Watching this doen't change anything that>happened.Yes, but it sure gets you mad as he** at group of people who think destroying you is God's will! I wanted to punch the screen a few times, not that it would do any good...L.Adamson

[btacon 1,801]

er...and your point?bt

[Lord Hearteater 0]

This is an aviation-centered film, and thus merits discussion in a flight-sim forum. The views that follow are strictly my own, and come from the perspective of a musician, artist and world traveller who has a college degree in broadcasting and film studies, and who knows a few things about aircraft cockpits vis a vis his education, experiences and hobbies. I have done my best to keep politics out of what follows. Director Paul Greengrass has avoided the use of story and sympathy-building cliches. You don't know who any of the characters are, unless you are already familiar with the tragic stories of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Similarly, the background musical score is minimal, and at no point foretells or overshadows the action. This is a film that could easily play in an Arab capital, as well as proverbial Peoria. Greenglass does use time-honored cinematic techniques to illustrate mounting tension and crisis; quick camera movements, rapid shot cutting, etc. Moments before the hijackers move to commandeer the aircraft, their eyes are all given close-ups; nice touch. The hijackers are masterfully portrayed by four British unkowns (relatively speaking, of course), and I would encourage movie audiences to NOT identify the actors with the roles that they inhabited here. They did a professional job, and should be recognized as professionals, not the personifications of misguided fanaticism that they portray. The hijackers' dialogue is in Arabic, with a smattering of German and English in places (yes, there are subtitles); nice touch. There are many scenes in ATC-center environments, both control towers and regional centers. Some of the characters in these locations are the real-life individuals portraying themselves, re-living that awful day for the sake of verisimilitude, as well as preserving and honoring the memories of those lost. Again, nice touch. The cockpit scenes appear to be realistic; the main flight display's artificial horizon is deliberately a focal point of many shots. The flight control commands apear to be properly executed and represented, whether it's the crew doing pushback, or the hijackers overriding the autopilot. Greengrass strove for, and got, true "cinema verite." The cockpit scenes also appear to be faithful to a fault to the CVR recordings, based upon my having recently read the transcripts of them. CNN's "Larry King Live" had some of the actors, and loved-ones of the victims as part of his panel on the night this film opened. The broadcast should re-air this Sunday evening, as the show typically reprises the best show from the prior week in the Sunday slot. The families have all given the film a full endorsement as far as how the subect matter was treated, so you know that Greengrass has gotten it right. The use of the story itself to advance the plot is refreshing, thus there is no need for the above-referenced "Hollywoodisms" that might otherwise work better (they worked in "Titanic," but perhaps prevented "Pearl Harbor" from being truly great). The final moments of UAL93, about the final half-hour of the film, are portrayed chaotically, as they surely must have been. A final crash and explosion is avoided; the screen simply goes black. No Hollywood gimmickry is needed, and, in my opinion, it would have somewhat dishonored the dead. The passengers of UAL93 showed the world what true martrydom is about, and this film does their story justice with eloquence and grace, while avoiding plattitudes and politics. This is the stuff of Oscar consideration, and I predict a Best Director nomination. There are a few small nitpicks. During the escalation of the crisis, AAL11 is mistakenly referred to as a 757 by 2 different characters in 2 different places. I am uncertain as to whether this is an actual representation of a historical mistake or a legitimate film continuity error. Also (and I say this strictly as an American who loves, but more importantly, understands his country, and, even more importantly, how the world sees it), it would have been nice if "God Bless America" were playing during the closing credits, instead of some subdued, but nondescript soundtrack music. Of course, this would only be appropriate for American prints of the film, and is a minor point. Resultantly, I found myself singing the tune during the credits. Upon conclusion, many other audience members came to me and thanked me, including the wife of an Iraq-incursion veteran who is now seeing her son going there to serve. I actually apologized for possibly having offended/disturbed someone, but the retorts came back en masse to the opposite effect. This is indeed a powerful film, and worthy of the "must-see" designation assigned to it by a vast majority of the pundits. On 9/11/01, the President of France issued a statement that, "Today, we are all Americans." Black flags flew over Paris. Similarly, when terrorism has victimized other nations in the subsequent years, I have been as immediate as possible in my online expressions of support. My online golf tour players all wore black hats during last year's British Open as a sign of respect for the innocent dead in the London subway attacks. Terrorism has no place anywhere, and it sickens me as an honest Flight Simulator enthusiast to know that our beloved hobby was also a training tool for the hijackers. Sorry, I did promise to keep politics out of this, so I shall end here in typical film critic fashion: **** (out of a possible 4)