United 93: Impact of a Legend

One Friday night, April 28th, 2006 my dad came to pick me up from my grandma’s house and told me we were going to the movies. There wasn’t any movie out that I particularly wanted to see that weekend so I wasn’t interested in going, nevertheless he made me go anyway and told me we were going to see United 93. I had no idea what the heck that was so now I was even less interested in going. There was also another movie showing that night named Akeelah and the Bee. Though I wasn’t crazy about that movie either I did atleast go watch it while my dad was watching United 93.

I actually enjoyed the movie I watched, but after it was over I had to go sit in my dad’s movie with him because it was a little longer than the one I saw. When I went into his movie and watched the remainder of United 93 I saw one of the most emotionally effective moments in cinema history and when we left out of that screening room I realized I had just witnessed the cinematic retelling of September 11th, 2001.

Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, United 93 chronicles the events that took place on board the fourth aircraft that was hijacked in the attacks of September 11th 2001. The film focuses on the hijacking of United Airlines flight 93 and it’s eventual passenger revolt that led to the plane crashing in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The film’s story is also told from the point of the air travel and military officials who worked endlessly to intercept all the hijacked aircraft from that morning’s attack.

United 93 is film perfection that is utterly heartbreaking. The docudrama scenery of the film is so authentic that that it literally makes the viewer feel like they are back in the fall of 2001. The pace of the film is also cinematic perfection. The film does a great job at starting off very slowly, mirroring the real-life calm before the storm that the entire country felt on that terrible morning before the attacks began.

The performances by the cast in the film is what is most moving. Actors Christian Clemenson, Peter Hermann, Cheyenne Jackson, David Alan Basche and Trish Gates as United flight 93 heroes Tom Burnett, Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham, Todd Beamer and Sandra Bradshaw, respectively, were very convincing in their depictions. They were all followed up by Khalid Abdalla who is electrifying in his performance as United 93’s leading hijacker, Ziad Jarrah.

Director Paul Greengrass also does a great job of making convincing performances out of the people who weren’t real actors in the film. More than half of the people you see in the film portraying the air travel and military officials who were working to get a grip on the attacks that morning appear as themselves for the entirety of the film, most notably the FAA floor manager of the fall of 2001, Ben Sliney. They all did a great job re-enacting their real life speeches and actions from that morning.

The last seven minutes of United 93 are some of the most heart wrenching moments of cinematic history. To watch the passengers and crew of United flight 93 fight for the controls of the aircraft in a final act of bravery against their captors was moving beyond words. That final scene of the aircraft crashing in Somerset County, Pennsylvania has never failed to draw reactions of heartache to all whom I have watched it with. The day I saw it in theaters everyone who walked out of that screening room was quiet with somber sadness.

United 93’s reception was largely positive. It was a financial success at the box office and was a big contender at the Academy awards the following year. United 93 is truly one of my favorite films ever. I remember 9/11/01 and it’s effect. For me United 93 reawakened the memories and impact of 9/11 that we all should remember and ever since I have never failed to always remember and commemorate that fateful day. United 93 is not only a cinematic masterpiece, but an amazing tribute to the real life heroes of September 11th 2001 who gave their lives in the defense of others. This film has inspired me artistically as a writer and is without a doubt one of the greatest films ever.

~~Dedicated to the passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93.