United 93
Director: Paul Greengrass
With: Christian Clemenson, Trish Gates
Runtime: 91 minutes
This generation will, perhaps, never see an event which can affect the global conciousness as much as the events of 9/11. So shaken was the world by what transpired and so raw were the feelings created, that it has taken almost 5 years for anyone to feel comfortable enough to attempt a dramatisation of that day. The end of September this year will see the release of Oliver Stone’s blockbuster, World Trade Center, but first comes this much more low-key offering.
Telling the story of United Airways flight 93, the only one of the hijacked planes not to reach its intended target, United 93 is not, strictly speaking, a dramatisation. The story is told in real-time and much of the dialogue is based on transcripts, with many of the central characters, such as Ben Sliney (the newly-promoted supervisor of the National Air Traffic Control Center) playing themselves. This, coupled with the casting of relative unknowns, makes the film particularly affecting as the audience can see the characters as the real people they are instead of performances by a familiar face.
As a spectacle for entertainment, United 93 moves too slowly. This is not to say that you’ll be bored - the real-life events are as dramatic as any Tom Clancy - but to provide entertainment is not the objective of this film. Made at the request of the passengers’ families, it is intended to provide an honest account of the sacrifices made by their loved ones and to serve as an emotional touchstone to remind people of how they felt as the day’s events unfolded. In this it succeeds fantastically, as I began watching in no real mood for serious subject matter and ended in tears.
Though the delicate subject matter may make any criticism of this film seem callous, this is thankfully not an issue. The cinematography is first rate, the performances moving and Greengrass’ script provides a sensitive treatment of the material. If there is one criticism to be made, it is in the portrayal of the hijackers themselves. Though the film deals with the conflict that they undergo in an attempt to humanize them, there is no examination of the fanatical belief which led them to commit such an atrocity, leading to them being the least well developed characters. However, such an unbiased approach also prevents the film from being overly jingoistic.
To get the most out of this film I would definitely recommend seeing it at the cinema as, only by watching it alone with your thoughts can you get the full emotional impact. Deeply moving.
