Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'United 93'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Never forget. Those are two words that are engrained in the minds of several generations simply because, we really try to do our best to keep the importance of this time of year at the top of our minds. Because September 11, 2001 was a day that changed our lives and our understanding of the world and it’s difficult to forget where we were on that fateful day and our own individual experiences during that trying time as we tried to get the straight story as to what was happening in New York City and whether or not our loved ones were safe if they were in that city, or serving abroad because the unknown was everywhere that day, as was fear.
 
But, despite our emotions that day, and the stories we share with one another when we ponder upon that fateful Tuesday from seventeen years ago, our experiences will always pale in comparison to those who were directly involved in the nightmare at hand. The heroic first responders, and the innocent people who lost their lives or managed to survive this senseless and cruel attack are the ones who truly understand the terror of what unfolded on 9/11 and after all this time, it has in many ways remained a day that cinema and television have tried to avoid chronicling out of respect for the dead. However, there are some films out there that truly do their best to encapsulate the toughest stories from one of America’s darkest moments and one film that fits that category is one that I usually revisit this time of year, United 93.
 
This film, which chronicles the story of the crew and the passengers of the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania on that fateful day is unique simply because, it does its best to steer clear of any political messages or agendas in telling its story. This is a motion picture that flat out tries to plunge us back into the middle of this dark day and tell a tale of unexpected heroism with whatever facts are at hand, and how it accomplishes this, is by reminding us of the fact that this was a day like any other and as we meet the people on that flight, and the other people involved in this story, it truly feels like any other day. The story is mired with the mundane as these people board the flight while others get to work and that instantly takes you back to your own memories of 9/11 and what you were doing that day. 

---

Which in turn, makes you uncomfortable and you’re supposed to be. Because this motion picture doesn’t pull any punches, and we are plunged right back into every harrowing moment of that stunning day and well, it’s a humbling and sobering experience to see this day unfold once again, and there’s a gravity to this part of the story that comes by way of the fact that Writer/Director Paul Greengrass cast real life people that were behind the scenes with the FAA and the Air Force on that fateful day, something that gives me pause every single time I watch this film because this is a tough day for all of us to remember, so it must have taken some serious guts for these brave souls to recreate everything they witnessed and felt that morning. 
 
But truly, the most powerful part of this story, are the events that unfold aboard United 93, because the same brutal and raw style of storytelling is present in this part of the film as well and while this part of the story features some dramatization, it’s still unsettling since the hijacking and subsequent crash of the plane did happen, and we see the genuine terror on the passengers faces when the hijackers take over and the horror of the moment washes over the audience because once they take the plane, you realize you’ve reached a point of no return, and we know how this story ends and despite the heroism present from the crew and the passengers, knowing what they are going to do and knowing what is going to happen wears you down as you watch, and it definitely gives you pause when the powerhouse and earth shattering ending arrives.
 
Yet, while this is a hard movie to watch, it’s an important piece of cinema as well. Because regardless of any dramatization for effect, a lot of this story is incredibly genuine. The fear, the pain, the terror, it’s all real, and we all endured our own little slice of it and it’s important to remember the emotions this attack on American generated and despite the fact that it has been nearly two decades since this fateful day, this motion picture is still incredibly relevant. Because it does stand for something special, since it does feature genuine heroics since those forty souls gave their lives so others could endure and that’s why it is an important film to revisit. Because while it shows a day when America watched the skies in fear, it also represents the wonders we are capable of, when the cause is just and true…   

---