Movie Review

United 93

United 93 is without a doubt one of the most realistic, emotional, and haunting films I?ve seen. Judging from the promotional material for this picture, I wasn?t sure what to expect, but critics had labeled it as intense, raw, and unflinching in its portrayal of the terrorist takeover on 9/11, 2001 ? and I can?t think of any other ways to describe it either. Director Paul Greengrass has managed to put together a very honest tribute to the tragedy without injecting any political bias that Michael Moore has been attacked for. Greengrass just presents the facts, and presents them with such a sense of realism that what is really a human drama at heart ends up being an unforgettable thriller as well. It?s going to be hard for a film this year to be more important than this experience.

Greengrass shot the film with a similar raw flare as he approached The Bourne Supremacy (B-/B) with, and the tone of the film and a few elements also reminded me of Munich (B). Despite being a really well-crafted picture in general, I felt the Spielberg film was slightly detached emotionally and needed character development to really climb to another level. I?ve been told by some that Munich was not meant to be a normal film by the standards of story structure and characterization; that it just presents a point of view ? though I still disagree on that argument. United 93 is much more emotionally alive in comparison; and considering memories of that day still linger, it is that much easier to respond to this film ? much like Fahrenheit 9/11 (B/B+).

Thinking about it afterwards, I was questioning whether its emotional punch was a bit manipulative considering that all the film does is reenact most of what we already know (hence, it can be seen as a forced reaction). I realized, though, that United 93 is not necessarily about the obvious events of that day, but about what the people on those flights went through when they realized that they were probably going to die ? and how it could?ve been anyone.

On the surface United 93 is straightforward, but deep down it is quite three-dimensional. The film makes most of its impact when you picture yourself in that situation, with everyone there, and you wonder what you would?ve done every step of the way; would you have had the courage to do something, or would you have acknowledged that nothing you do is going to save yourself? A film by definition is supposed to engage us and ask us questions based on the events that unfold ? and a really good film is meant to stick with us afterwards, and perhaps even forever. United 93 is one of those films.

Lee's Grade: B+
Ranked #3 of 177 between The Departed (#2) and Jackass: Number Two (#4) for 2006 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%