I watched "United 93" this past week and it is a movie that stands above any film I have seen this year. It is brilliant in its structure (the movie is told in real time) and compassionate in its intent (director Paul Greengrass refused to make the film without the support of the families of the passengers and crew).
Those who argued last spring that it was "too soon" for a 9/11 movie were making their arguments based on psychological wounds that, for some, haven't healed. And that is unfortunate, as I found the film quite therapeutic. I have never (never) sobbed so hard at a film.
The movie doesn't exploit, nor does it point any fingers or draw any conclusions. It simply watches events as they unfold. Greengrass' decision not to use mega-stars for this story was deliberate; as was the decision to keep away from the Hollywood formula of portraying the characters as people with histories and sappy backstories. What we know about the passengers of this doomed flight are what we would have known had we been sitting next to them: absolutely nothing, save some details of what they were wearing or how they styled their hair or what book they were reading.
And that is what makes the staggering horror of the final moments of this film so monumental. You are right there with these passengers as they fight the ultimate fight to overtake their hijackers. American Everymen emerging from the chaos of that unbelievable morning with courage and heroism.
Even five years later there are many who still exploit 9/11 for political gain or turn its history into popular myth. But not "United 93." This film is masterful and heartbreaking; sobering and vital. And it honors the memory of the passengers and crew...those wonderful, brave angels.
