United 93
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Cast
Lewis Alsamari
JJ Johnson
Gary Commock
Trish Gates
Polly Adams
Cheyenne Jackson
Opal Alladin
Starla Benford
Nancy McDoniel
David Alan Basche
From the Bin Laden Memo:
Al Qaeda members -- including some who are U.S. citizens -- have resided in or traveled to the U.S. for years, and the group apparently maintains a support structure that could aid attacks.
Two al-Qaeda members found guilty in the conspiracy to bomb our embassies in East Africa were U.S. citizens, and a senior EIJ member lived in California in the mid-1990s.
A clandestine source said in 1998 that a bin Laden cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.
We have not been able to corroborate some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that from a ---- service in 1998 saying that Bin Laden wanted to hijack a U.S. aircraft to gain the release of "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman and other U.S.-held extremists.
Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.
In United 93, directed by Paul Greengrass, the Bin Laden memo isn’t men
tioned. Yet by the time the film is over, you’ll certainly think about it and wonder how the events of September 11, 2001 might have been avoided if it weren’t for the so called “lack of details” excuse put forward by the Bush administration. It is one of the many things I thought about as I left the theater this afternoon. I also had a feeling of profound sadness not just because of those historic events, but because I’m not sure that we are any more prepared for such an event now as we were almost five years ago with all of our resources being poured into Iraq.
When you review a film such as United 93, you feel almost compelled to praise it regardless of quality. To do otherwise is to risk being accused of being disrespectful towards the many that died, not only on United 93 but those passengers on the other aircraft, and those who died in the World
Trade Center and at the Pentagon. The film succeeds quite well in recreating those events, and it will leave you feeling sad, depressed and angered just as it was meant to do. Yet, I think back to when I viewed The Discovery Channel’s excellent documentary recreation The Flight That Fought Back, and realize that I had the same feelings when watching that recreation.
The difference is that when watching The Flight That Fought Back you are well aware that you are witnessing a recreation of past historical events. When you watch United 93 however, you are transported to the event as if it could be happening right at this day, at this hour, and at this moment. It’s as if you are transported directly into the airport, the air traffic control centers, and into the passenger section and cockpit. But unlike the passengers, who are in
itially unaware of what awaits them, we are not and our sense of frustration is overpowering especially as we witness the confusion and lack of response from those in charge.
From everything that we have learned since then, some of the passengers have become etched into our brain that they now appear larger than life. Yet, Greengrass doesn’t fall into the trap of making them seem so. He sees them just as they were on that day; ordinary citizens on what was supposed to be an ordinary uneventful day. They could be the people you ride the bus with, they could be the many passengers who surround you on the subway, or they could just as easily be the nameless faces you pass as you walk through the local mall. It is the events of the day that brought them recognition and that led them to their failed attempt at survival rather than merely accepting their fate and doing nothing. But what we will always remember is that they did try, not that they eventually failed.
Yes, we see them making numerous desperate pho
ne calls home, but Greengrass doesn’t dwell on each individual conversation to wrench every tear from us that he can. The passengers hurriedly dial home, leave messages for loved one, as Greengrass lets his camera move quickly from one person to the next. If we were on the Flight, would we have been privileged to each and every conversation? Not unless that particular passenger was seated next to you.
More than half of the film doesn’t take place on United 93. Most of the first half of the film is centered o
n the confusion at various air traffic control centers, New York’s
Northeast Air Defense Sector, and the FAA headquarters. When what appears to be the first hijacking occurs, there is initially no sense of urgency, and there is in fact, a certain amount of glib skepticism. But I understand it. When I awoke that day and booted up my computer and read World Trade Center collapsed, I thought for sure it was a joke. As the events develop though, there is a sense of urgency. To emphasize what those at the FAA were up against, Greengrass shows us close-ups of the radar screen with what appears to be millions of blips inhabiting the screen. It quickly becomes mind-boggling as we become painfully aware how unprepared we were for this event. In the end, it is Ben Sliney (who plays himself) that takes charge and orders all aircraft to land, orders no more departures, and diverts all overseas flights headed to the U.S. to land elsewhere.
On the other hand, the military appeared to be totally out to lunch. They are unable to come to a decision about anything and when they do, they make the wrong ones. For instance, when the finally do get the fighter jets in the air, they first head out over the ocean for some inexplicable reason. Then we find out they aren’t armed. Yet, they desperately seek permission to engage if it becomes necessary but permission never comes one way or the other. That is only an order that can come directly from the President or the Vice President. It was at this point that I thought back to the opening of Fahrenheit 9/11 and the pictures of George Bush sitting in a classroom reading My Pet Goat. What I later found out was besides that reading, he stayed another 20 minutes for a photo-op afterward, long after both planes had hit the WTC. Though it isn’t mentioned in this film, you can’t help but dwell on it, during the film and afterwards.
So should the film even have been made? I’ve given this a great deal of thought after having seen United 93. Yes, it should have. We have become a country that buys into sound bites and only what our brain can decipher in 30 seconds or less. We elect our president under the same principals that drive us to phone in a vote for American Idol. What our government is doing and how it is being run should concern us at all times, not just when gasoline reaches astronomical prices, or when we decide to let the UAB operate our ports. Sometimes we need to be reminded of tragic events also, before the memory becomes too distant.
Ten percent of the opening weekend gross was donated to a memorial fund for the passengers of Flight 93. The film cost only $15 million to make which is a drop in the bucket so in the end Universal will undoubtedly make a profit. I won’t begrudge them that although I probably should. I mean ten percent of the opening weekend is okay, but do you really need to make a profit off of our dead?
As for grading the film, I’ll just say that I think everyone should see it once and one time is plenty. But it is not a film I care to visit again anytime soon. It’s just too painful.
Two al-Qaeda members found guilty in the conspiracy to bomb our embassies in East Africa were U.S. citizens, and a senior EIJ member lived in California in the mid-1990s.A clandestine source said in 1998 that a bin Laden cell in New York was recruiting Muslim-American youth for attacks.
We have not been able to corroborate some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that from a ---- service in 1998 saying that Bin Laden wanted to hijack a U.S. aircraft to gain the release of "Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman and other U.S.-held extremists.
Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.
In United 93, directed by Paul Greengrass, the Bin Laden memo isn’t men
tioned. Yet by the time the film is over, you’ll certainly think about it and wonder how the events of September 11, 2001 might have been avoided if it weren’t for the so called “lack of details” excuse put forward by the Bush administration. It is one of the many things I thought about as I left the theater this afternoon. I also had a feeling of profound sadness not just because of those historic events, but because I’m not sure that we are any more prepared for such an event now as we were almost five years ago with all of our resources being poured into Iraq.When you review a film such as United 93, you feel almost compelled to praise it regardless of quality. To do otherwise is to risk being accused of being disrespectful towards the many that died, not only on United 93 but those passengers on the other aircraft, and those who died in the World
Trade Center and at the Pentagon. The film succeeds quite well in recreating those events, and it will leave you feeling sad, depressed and angered just as it was meant to do. Yet, I think back to when I viewed The Discovery Channel’s excellent documentary recreation The Flight That Fought Back, and realize that I had the same feelings when watching that recreation.The difference is that when watching The Flight That Fought Back you are well aware that you are witnessing a recreation of past historical events. When you watch United 93 however, you are transported to the event as if it could be happening right at this day, at this hour, and at this moment. It’s as if you are transported directly into the airport, the air traffic control centers, and into the passenger section and cockpit. But unlike the passengers, who are in
itially unaware of what awaits them, we are not and our sense of frustration is overpowering especially as we witness the confusion and lack of response from those in charge.From everything that we have learned since then, some of the passengers have become etched into our brain that they now appear larger than life. Yet, Greengrass doesn’t fall into the trap of making them seem so. He sees them just as they were on that day; ordinary citizens on what was supposed to be an ordinary uneventful day. They could be the people you ride the bus with, they could be the many passengers who surround you on the subway, or they could just as easily be the nameless faces you pass as you walk through the local mall. It is the events of the day that brought them recognition and that led them to their failed attempt at survival rather than merely accepting their fate and doing nothing. But what we will always remember is that they did try, not that they eventually failed.
Yes, we see them making numerous desperate pho
ne calls home, but Greengrass doesn’t dwell on each individual conversation to wrench every tear from us that he can. The passengers hurriedly dial home, leave messages for loved one, as Greengrass lets his camera move quickly from one person to the next. If we were on the Flight, would we have been privileged to each and every conversation? Not unless that particular passenger was seated next to you.More than half of the film doesn’t take place on United 93. Most of the first half of the film is centered o
n the confusion at various air traffic control centers, New York’sNortheast Air Defense Sector, and the FAA headquarters. When what appears to be the first hijacking occurs, there is initially no sense of urgency, and there is in fact, a certain amount of glib skepticism. But I understand it. When I awoke that day and booted up my computer and read World Trade Center collapsed, I thought for sure it was a joke. As the events develop though, there is a sense of urgency. To emphasize what those at the FAA were up against, Greengrass shows us close-ups of the radar screen with what appears to be millions of blips inhabiting the screen. It quickly becomes mind-boggling as we become painfully aware how unprepared we were for this event. In the end, it is Ben Sliney (who plays himself) that takes charge and orders all aircraft to land, orders no more departures, and diverts all overseas flights headed to the U.S. to land elsewhere.
On the other hand, the military appeared to be totally out to lunch. They are unable to come to a decision about anything and when they do, they make the wrong ones. For instance, when the finally do get the fighter jets in the air, they first head out over the ocean for some inexplicable reason. Then we find out they aren’t armed. Yet, they desperately seek permission to engage if it becomes necessary but permission never comes one way or the other. That is only an order that can come directly from the President or the Vice President. It was at this point that I thought back to the opening of Fahrenheit 9/11 and the pictures of George Bush sitting in a classroom reading My Pet Goat. What I later found out was besides that reading, he stayed another 20 minutes for a photo-op afterward, long after both planes had hit the WTC. Though it isn’t mentioned in this film, you can’t help but dwell on it, during the film and afterwards.
So should the film even have been made? I’ve given this a great deal of thought after having seen United 93. Yes, it should have. We have become a country that buys into sound bites and only what our brain can decipher in 30 seconds or less. We elect our president under the same principals that drive us to phone in a vote for American Idol. What our government is doing and how it is being run should concern us at all times, not just when gasoline reaches astronomical prices, or when we decide to let the UAB operate our ports. Sometimes we need to be reminded of tragic events also, before the memory becomes too distant.
Ten percent of the opening weekend gross was donated to a memorial fund for the passengers of Flight 93. The film cost only $15 million to make which is a drop in the bucket so in the end Universal will undoubtedly make a profit. I won’t begrudge them that although I probably should. I mean ten percent of the opening weekend is okay, but do you really need to make a profit off of our dead?
As for grading the film, I’ll just say that I think everyone should see it once and one time is plenty. But it is not a film I care to visit again anytime soon. It’s just too painful.
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