United 93 Movie Review

United 93 (2006)

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Written by: Paul Greengrass
Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Starring: David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby, Liza Colón-Zaya, Cheyenne Jackson
Rated: R
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Plot
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists seize control of United Airlines Flight 93 and three other planes. As realization of the imminent horror dawns on passengers, crew, and loved ones on the ground, the courageous acts by those held hostage in the air count down in actual time.

Verdict
I don't know how accurate this is, but it feels incredibly authentic. This switches between what's happening in the sky and on the ground at different air ports. There are no lulls, this is intense all the way through. Knowing what happens doesn't diminish this at all, it's absolutely incredible. The very idea such a thing could happen was absurd at the time. No one knew how to react and this captures the confusion and range of emotions perfectly.
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Review
This does a great job of making you feel like you're there, whether is on the plane or on the ground. Everyone is panicked. This builds slowly. The air traffic controllers are dubious of a hijacking claim at first, as are the military. It's been decades since a plane hijack.

For much of the movie the people on the ground are just trying to figure out what's going on. With no parameters in place for such an attack, they have a lot of difficulty. No one is prepared for this scenario. Information trickles in that it's not one, but two planes, then three. No one is ever quite sure.
Even the people on the plane aren't sure of what's going on as their kidnappers have separated them from the front of the plane.

The people on the ground are confused when there seems to be an explosion at the World Trade Tower, then shocked when a passenger plane hits the tower.

I like that this doesn't have a big star, that would only distract from the events. It's an impressive and gripping depiction of what happened. While this undoubtedly had to take liberties to recreate the story, it feels incredibly realistic. This is a story rooted in truth that makes all facets, in the air and on the ground, intense and emotional.