On September 11, 2001, I was nine years old and sitting in a fourth grade English class. The class went on like normal until I heard our Principal announced over the intercom to not turn on the televisions. I suppose this was to not frighten or disturb us. I knew something wasn’t right though because students were being checked out of school left and right, including myself. It wasn’t too much longer until I learned that the World Trade Center had been attacked. The day is one of the more memorable days of my life and I’ll never forget every moment of that day. It’s kind of a surreal experience to go back and watch something about September 11, because it still seems very surreal to me that something like that happened in my lifetime. It’s a painful memory and one that I don’t think about too often. United 93 brought that day back to life for me and it was a very difficult experience.
I’ve watched a lot of hard to sit through films in my lifetime, but United 93 is probably the hardest time I’ve had watching anything in my life. Paul Greengrass did a remarkable job at showing us a tale of both horror and heroism. What is truly frightening about United 93 is that it’s true. Everything here happened and Greengrass shot it with a level of maturity and respect that makes the viewer both think about that situation and remember that day. I cried multiple times in this film. It’s very rare for me to do that. I could probably count on one hand the times that has happened to me during a film, but United 93 hits like nothing else in cinema.
I think that this is an extremely important film. Whatever your beliefs are about the events that transpired after 9/11 this is something that everyone should see. It’s very difficult to put into words how powerful United 93 is. It has a documentary type feel to it, and will affect anyone who watches. The way Greengrass handles the situation is very good. To make a film about this subject had to have been a daunting task to relive that every day in the making of this picture and I commend Greengrass and his crew for making this picture. It’s a time capsule film for a day in history that no one will ever forget.
As both an American viewer and a lover of films I found this rough to watch. It’s not something I’ll ever revisit, even though it’s a remarkable film. I just don’t want to live in that moment ever again in my lifetime. It’s something that I think people need to watch, but it’s something that I don’t think anyone will watch more than once. United 93 is among the best of the films I’ve watched from the last decade. This movie deserves every bit of praise it has ever been given, and deserves to be counted among the most important pieces of cinema ever made.
Some stray notes on United 93
The final sequences are both powerful and emotionally wrecking.
The acting here is superb, I don’t think there were many notable actors here, but every single person did a terrific job.
The usage of real footage is really well placed.
I’m glad that the ending of the film didn’t waver and go into what Bush did afterwards, everything here is about that day and nothing more and I thought that was a good move by Greengrass.
I felt Greengrass tried to humanize the terrorists in certain points and I liked that aspect. As despicable as this action was he never treated them as caricatures.
David Jones/RD
