How to view "United 93" is a tough question. Should it be seen as a monument - a memorial to those passengers who heroically overcame their hijackers? Should it be viewed as a warning - a testament to the disarray of communication between civilian air-traffic controllers and military defense systems? Or should it be viewed simply as a movie?
In terms of its review, "United 93" should be viewed more as a film. September 11 was no doubt a tragic event. That said, "United 93" portrays a poignant vision of September 11 in a courageous way, though at times it can get a bit awkward. The film does portray the passengers as complete strangers, and director Paul Greengrass was perhaps wise to use a cast of unknown actors. Nevertheless, without famous actors dominating the screen, there is also a sense that the audience is as much a stranger to the passengers as they are to each other. A lot of the dialogue between characters is of little importance before the plane is taken over. Greengrass seems to want to emphasize that these American passengers are everyday Americans, going about their normal American business.
The hijackers too have developed characters. All religious, their leader seems somewhat reluctant at first, which represents a good attempt at humanizing him. Just before boarding the plane he is seen on a cell phone, presumably leaving a message. All the viewers hear is, "I love you." The opening shots feature a beautiful sunrise on the fateful day, and we see all the soon-to-be hijackers performing their last prayers, kneeling to the east and reciting passage from the Koran. Beyond that, the other terrorists are obviously tense. Much of the role-playing between the passengers and the terrorists was improvised, giving the movie a more realistic, shot-from-the-hip feel.
Another point of interest in this film is the actors in scenes other than those on flight 93. Many of the top military personnel featured in the film were "as himself" parts, along with a few staff members of the air-traffic control centers featured in the film. All of this contributed surprisingly well to the authenticity of the re-enactment.
One thing the film recreates exceptionally well is the degree of confusion amongst the military and the air-traffic controllers about the exact details of the situation. In fact, they do so well that some of the banter about which planes are actually being hijacked and which they know to be hijacked can be misleading for the audience. Besides miscommunication and confusion in the ranks of civilian and military authority, the film merely mentions the president in passing. Some might view the lack of presidential influence in the situation as a statement of disapproval towards the president. However, the ending sequence mentions that the president was only informed of the incident just after "United 93," the last plane to be hijacked, had crashed down in Pennsylvania.
The final sequence is perhaps the most harrowing and simultaneously savage scene in the film. As the passengers muscle their way into the cockpit, the plane is just 20 minutes from its destination: the U.S. Capitol Building. This intense final scene features all of the passengers overpowering the hijackers at the plane's helm, trying desperately to keep the plane from barreling downward into the ground below.
Overall, the tone of the film goes from tense to intense. It would be hard for anyone to forget about what happened that day, regardless of whether or not this memorial of a film were produced. Someone was bound to do it eventually, and it certainly won't be the last September 11 movie, but it's definitely worth a view.
