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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the most shocking events in modern American history gets a skilled and respectful treatment in United 93. The movie begins by following the four terrorists who hijacked the plane that never reached its target on 9/11/2001, tracking them as they enter the airport and wait for their flight, surrounded by the people who will die from their actions. From there, it cuts to and fro among air traffic controllers and the military as, gradually, it becomes clear that planes are being hijacked and crashed into buildings. As the focus turns to the captive United Flight 93, the passengers discover, due to cell phone connections with family, that they're on a suicide mission and--almost paralyzed by stress and anxiety--decide to fight back. Most movies create tension by implying what might happen, but with United 93 the audience knows exactly what happened: Every person on that plane died. As a result, the movie is more relentlessly gut-wrenching than suspenseful (though the dawning realisation of the air traffic controllers has an effective creeping dread). But writer/director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) manages to keep the scale of the events human; there are no glamourous heroics, only terrifying confusion and desperate, hopeless bravery. One can only hope the movie brings some peace to the families of the passengers, as United 93 is the cinematic equivalent of a war memorial, commemorating lives lost in a moment of horrible, harrowing conflict. --Bret Fetzer
Synopsis
United 93, director Paul Greengrass's meticulous reconstruction of the events surrounding the crash--the result of a heroic struggle between the passengers and hijackers--of the fourth plane to be hijacked on September 11, 2001, is a momentous piece of filmmaking. Greengrass has chosen the most politically and emotionally charged source material available to an artist in the early 21st century, and shaped it into a psychologically draining, terrifyingly real, and technically brilliant film. Like his first feature-length work Bloody Sunday, United 93 doesn't follow a traditional cinematic narrative structure; via hand-held cameras, grainy DV stock, and frenetic editing, it instead presents a visceral (at times sickening) in-the-moment documentary-style experience that maximizes the film's unavoidable air of tension and dread without being crassly manipulative. Yet for all of its precision and craft, United 93 still depicts one of the most terrifying ordeals the United States has ever had to face--and that it was released less than five years after those events took place plays an undeniably enormous role in how the film is received. It is impossible to watch United 93 and not be profoundly moved, whether that emotion is fear, sadness, anxiety, or pure rage. It is an emotional catharsis far removed from what is the filmmaker's delicate hand and deft touch. Greengrass, though, is quite fearless in his depiction of the chaos of the day--the President is frustratingly missing; the FAC, NORAD, and local air-traffic control centres are shown in a disoriented panic; and the terrorists are brutal and remorseless--and, to his credit, he avoids soft-pedalling any political agenda and doesn't blindly canonize the flight's passengers. Rather, their heroism is treated as the product of a logical decision made by ordinary men and women who found themselves in the most extraordinary and illogical of situations and that, ultimately, is where the power of United 93 lies.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having sat through an increasing offering of 'OK' docu-dramas from JFK to World Trade Centre, I approached this film with some trepidation given the plaudits it received when released into the cinema.
I shouldn't have worried. Greengrass has produced a superb film. It's an emotional rollercoaster cutting between what's happening onboard U93 and what is happening at US air traffic control as it slowly dawns on them that the US is under attack from planes in it's own airspace.
We all know the terrible story of course, but Greengrass portrays the terror with great tension and the human stories with sensitivity and respect.
This is no schmaltzy retrospective, or political statement. It sets out to simply tell the story of the audacity of the hi-jackers, the horor and experiences of the passengers on United 93, and the disbelief of the US administration as the plot unfolded. And it does it exceptionally well.
I shouldn't have worried. Greengrass has produced a superb film. It's an emotional rollercoaster cutting between what's happening onboard U93 and what is happening at US air traffic control as it slowly dawns on them that the US is under attack from planes in it's own airspace.
We all know the terrible story of course, but Greengrass portrays the terror with great tension and the human stories with sensitivity and respect.
This is no schmaltzy retrospective, or political statement. It sets out to simply tell the story of the audacity of the hi-jackers, the horor and experiences of the passengers on United 93, and the disbelief of the US administration as the plot unfolded. And it does it exceptionally well.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was in 2 minds whether I should watch this or not. A friend of mine was convinced that these type of films shouldn't be watched as people are making money out of such an awful tradgedy. But I thought that maybe people should know what happened and there should be something to remember the events by.
Glad that I watched this though as I do think its a fitting tribute to the bravery of the people on the plane. Takes a lot to make me cry at a film, but this one did. But even though its a film about such a sad event, somehow it manages to avoid been a depresseng film.
Glad that I watched this though as I do think its a fitting tribute to the bravery of the people on the plane. Takes a lot to make me cry at a film, but this one did. But even though its a film about such a sad event, somehow it manages to avoid been a depresseng film.
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This movie is intense, realistic, unflinching and moving. That is not to say it is a fantastic film - it is efficient and appropriate to the subject matter, but is definitely not shot in a cinematic style - it is claustrophobic and more interested in authenticity of characters and events than in exciting style - as well it should be. This works perfectly as you are never taken out of the feeling that you are actually watching the events unfold.
The movie is essentially a real time depiction of events on the plane, along with corroborating scenes in air traffic control, and especially the relatives on the receiving end of phone calls from the planes. The script and what we see has been hung primarily on the phone calls made from the plane on mobiles and air phones, giving the events a horrible authenticity. It is not the memory of two dimensional bad guys on a suicide mission you remember - the politics and response are not addressed here - it is above all the trauma and agonising loss of the people left on the ground that you remember - the real cost of the loss of United 93. It is impossible to watch and not imagine you and your loved ones in that situation - and this is where the film is a success, it makes a huge geopolitical terrorist event something personal and real to each of us.
A story of heroism in the face of tragedy that is an essential watch.
The movie is essentially a real time depiction of events on the plane, along with corroborating scenes in air traffic control, and especially the relatives on the receiving end of phone calls from the planes. The script and what we see has been hung primarily on the phone calls made from the plane on mobiles and air phones, giving the events a horrible authenticity. It is not the memory of two dimensional bad guys on a suicide mission you remember - the politics and response are not addressed here - it is above all the trauma and agonising loss of the people left on the ground that you remember - the real cost of the loss of United 93. It is impossible to watch and not imagine you and your loved ones in that situation - and this is where the film is a success, it makes a huge geopolitical terrorist event something personal and real to each of us.
A story of heroism in the face of tragedy that is an essential watch.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Best film I've ever watched
This film is amazing, emotional and well shot. MUST BUY. The film is not focused on all of 911 just United Airlines flight.
Published 2 months ago by Oscar P
No better film made of 9/11.
This depiction, chronicling in real-time the story of "United 93", is first rate and is so far ahead of any other movie that reflects on that tragic day, that other (Hollywood... Read more
Published 3 months ago by David Wright
Thought-provoking
'United 93' is a dramatisation of the events that happened on 'United Airlines Flight 93'. It is done in the camera style of a reconstruction programme and the actors are all... Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. Climo
Really Well Done
It is a really hard film to review but i wanted to watch it because it was rated high and it had to be well made to be portraying such a tragedy and it is well made, the acting is... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. C. J. Davies
Not a film for a rainy day.
Possible 'plot' spoiler coming up, although I'm sure you all know what happened anyway!
This is the best film I have seen in a very long time. Read more
This is the best film I have seen in a very long time. Read more
Published 8 months ago by David B
Great, but a film that shouldn't exist.
This is one of the best films I've seen in a long while. Heart stopping, thrilling, it has the best of elements required for a spectacle. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Chung
A bold, brave and brilliant film.
An extremely moving and effective depiction of the events leading up to the crash of Flight 93 that was hijacked on September 11, 2001. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Seychelles
United 93
United 93 didn't reach its target on 9/11. Knowing that, we are brought into key situations where decisions are taken about what to do in the middle of the chaos. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Rupert
The best of the 9/11 movies
In the aftermath of Osama Bin Laden's recent demise & the 10th anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, interest is sure to rise in these movies again and I recommend this to be the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gigoer
United in heroism!
Best movie ever made about 9/11 and particularly what went on during flight 93. At once heart-breaking and heroic for what these common people achieved. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Rad
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