United 93 is definitely one of the most gut wrenching and realistic movies I have ever seen. This movie was extremely hard to watch due to the nature of the content of the movie, and it was even harder to watch due tot the fact that I (as most people of my generation) experienced these events firsthand. As the events unfolded on screen I was wishing that nothing would happen even though I know the events that occurred. Paul Greengrass, the director of this movie has truly made a film that should be seen by everyone. Not because it is a movie everyone will like but for the fact that it depicts the day that forever changed our country and a day that robbed a generation of its innocence.
I found myself reliving these events just as I had on 9/11 and it almost brought me to tears. Seeing the reactions of the air traffic controllers in New York as they see the second plane hits the South Tower was truly heartbreaking, the expression are they faces could only be described as pure bewilderment. No one knew what was going on and they were purely on reaction and gut instinct. I also bears mentioning that the actions portrayed on screen on United 93 are from accounts of relatives that were called from the plane and radio transmissions. But when you see them on screen for the first time you feel as these events are completely true. There is no action hero in this scenario, no Willis, no Stallone, and no Arnold. The heroes on this flight were real people, fighting for their individual survival and the survival of the people around them. I feel if I make this an extended review I will end up saying things that will upset people. The passengers of United 93 are true heroes, I hope that children will be able to one day look up to people like this, normal people put in extraordinary situations that band together to help people. Kids should look up to cops, firefighters and anyone who risks their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe and living our lives. I know it might sound like I'm jumping from point to point but I'm writing what I'm thinking on a second to second basis while thinking about this movie.
This is what a movie strives to be, telling a compelling involving story based around people put in an extraordinary situation. Even though the viewer only has a limited time with the people on Flight 93 you can clearly see their individual evolutions within that short time. I've seen TV show that run for multiple seasons that don't do half the job that the director of this movie does with characterization. This movie also did not do the Muslim community any favors with the depiction of their fanatical action on screen. And just to clarify, I know that all Muslims are not terrorists but these are the actions that the world sees and thus it becomes a reality. One small consolation is that through their heinous actions our country became stronger, maybe not at first but over time we recovered. This led us to go on the offensive and go after them instead of the other way around. I also dare you to find a more powerful closing scene to a movie or any form of media, if there is I haven't seen it yet. This is one of the first times that I will admit that a movie actually made me cry.
If anyone has reservation about this movie, put them to the side. I don't care what your politics or personal feelings are. This movie doesn't concern itself with those issues either. It just tells the story of what happened that day and shows one of the most powerful examples of a basic human instinct, survival. You should force yourself to watch this movie, for years I put it to the side because I felt I could not handle watching it because I know so many people affected by the events that unfolded that day. But in the end I am proud to have even gotten a glimpse of what might have actually happened on Flight 93 because it reminded me that normal everyday people can be heroes too.
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