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Submitted by cinemascope on Tue, 2006-06-13 13:27. :: Cinemascope 5
Movie title:
United 93
Starring:
Various little-known actors and people portraying themselves, notably Ben Sliney, National Operations Manager of the FAA.
Directed by:
Paul Greengrass
Written by:
Paul Greengrass
Genre:
Drama
Year:
2006
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Runtime:
91 minutes
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
An almost-real-time unfolding of the drama aboard United airlines flight 93, one of four flights hijacked on 9/11. It was the only flight to not reach its target after the passengers overpowered the hijackers, with all on board losing their lives as the airliner crashed into a Pennsylvanian field.
An almost-real-time unfolding of the drama aboard United airlines flight 93, one of four flights hijacked on 9/11. It was the only flight to not reach its target after the passengers overpowered the hijackers, with all on board losing their lives as the airliner crashed into a Pennsylvanian field.
Review
A hugely powerful achievement from British director Paul Greengrass, who uses techniques of improvisation and re-enactment honed on productions like Omagh and Bloody Sunday, while also bringing his Hollywood experiences on The Bourne Supremacy to bear on this outstanding movie. A lesser director would give the passengers and the hijackers emotional back-story and develop their characters to wring out the emotion of their traumatic experience, but wisely Greengrass eschews this approach in favour of the banal and everyday: the passengers indulge in the meaningless small-talk of commuters on an early-morning flight, if they converse at all, and we know nothing about their backgrounds. You might think that watching a film detailing events where you know the conclusion would lack tension, but the reverse is true. Unfolding in real-time, it's a horrendous and knuckle-whitening wait, first for the hijackers to make their move, then for the passengers to retaliate. Using individuals who were involved on the ground on 9/11 gives the film a veracity that couldn't be achieved with stars, with Ben Sliney in particular outstanding playing himself: he was the National Operations Manager of the FAA on 9/11 - it was his first day on the job - and was responsible for grounding all flights later that day. The hand-held cinematography is intimate, immediate and compelling, and the score is sparingly but effectively used. Of course, much of what really happened on Flight 93 will never be known, but through improvisation and courageous directorial decision-making, Paul Greengrass has created a masterful film and a fitting tribute to those who died on the flight.
A hugely powerful achievement from British director Paul Greengrass, who uses techniques of improvisation and re-enactment honed on productions like Omagh and Bloody Sunday, while also bringing his Hollywood experiences on The Bourne Supremacy to bear on this outstanding movie. A lesser director would give the passengers and the hijackers emotional back-story and develop their characters to wring out the emotion of their traumatic experience, but wisely Greengrass eschews this approach in favour of the banal and everyday: the passengers indulge in the meaningless small-talk of commuters on an early-morning flight, if they converse at all, and we know nothing about their backgrounds. You might think that watching a film detailing events where you know the conclusion would lack tension, but the reverse is true. Unfolding in real-time, it's a horrendous and knuckle-whitening wait, first for the hijackers to make their move, then for the passengers to retaliate. Using individuals who were involved on the ground on 9/11 gives the film a veracity that couldn't be achieved with stars, with Ben Sliney in particular outstanding playing himself: he was the National Operations Manager of the FAA on 9/11 - it was his first day on the job - and was responsible for grounding all flights later that day. The hand-held cinematography is intimate, immediate and compelling, and the score is sparingly but effectively used. Of course, much of what really happened on Flight 93 will never be known, but through improvisation and courageous directorial decision-making, Paul Greengrass has created a masterful film and a fitting tribute to those who died on the flight.
