Review: United 93

One of the best things that can be said about Paul Greengrass's feature is that it really put me inside the mindsets of those involved in responding to September 11 -the confusion in the air traffic control centers, at the FAA, of the military, and most importantly on United 93. After watching 24 where the government has an unparalelled level of techonological omniscience, it was hard to watch this movie and see the communication breakdowns that led to the paralyzation of the nation's response structure. The FAA and the air traffic control centers were dealing with so many planes in the air with questions on each one that it was hard for them to track all of the aircraft. The military was ready to respond but was unable to get clear rules of engagement and had limited strength. It turned out that the only people able to act were on the actual plane itself.

The movie is able to portray all of the people without making anyone out to be explicitly evil. The people at the FAA, the air traffic control towers, and in the military are good people trying to do their best to cope with an unusual and frightening situation. The terrorists are blinded by their cause. The passengers all have moments of weakness but in the end are stirred to action in order to try and save their lives. At one point, Greengrass intercuts between shots of the terrorists and passengers each praying in their own way.

The last part of the movie was done extremely well. As the some of the passengers resolve to take control of the plan, others start calling friends and family to tell them that they love them. On the one hand, you have the edge of your seat tension as they get ready to go and on the other hand you have the despair of the passengers who called loved ones to tell them that they loved them. Even as I knew the outcome, I hoped that they would take control even as the plane spiralled into the ground. I had to sit for a good few minutes after the screen went black before I was ready to get up and leave the theater.