Flug 93 (2006)

Flug 93: Directed by Paul Greengrass. With J.J. Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams, Opal Alladin. A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11th, 2001 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

“I was one of the people who said I wouldnu0026#39;t go see this movie because I felt they were capitalizing on a national tragedy and the trailer gave me nightmares. But, my curiosity got the best of me when I read several positive quotes by numerous critics outside the US. So, I picked up a ticket for the 2:00 show.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere truly are no words to describe the power of this film. The cinematography is excellent, albeit a little unsteady with the shaky lens thing going on. I found that the film very much followed the reports in the 9/11 Commissionu0026#39;s book, as well as numerous others. They stuck to the facts and didnu0026#39;t add in any glorified scenes that werenu0026#39;t warranted. You saw the mass confusion as the various air traffic control centers tried to make sense of what was going on. You saw the events on the plane unfold as we think they did that morning. You saw ordinary Americans, scared and frightened, band together and try and keep that plane from hitting another target.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDo we know exactly what was said between people on the planes? No. But there are survivors who had messages from loved ones on their answering machines and people who talked to them that day. The film is a little violent for my tastes, but no more so than any u0026#39;Blockbusteru0026#39; fictional hit out there right now, and this is reality as we know it. Any discrepancies are not for me or you to decide, as those secrets are buried in Pennsylvania.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhen it ended, Iu0026#39;ve never seen a more still theater. You could hear people breathing as they pulled themselves together. This is something that happened to our nation, and while it shouldnu0026#39;t take a movie to make people remember, maybe it does. Maybe we have forgotten or chosen to ignore what happened that day, falling to politics and quick to accuse people who didnu0026#39;t prevent it. Maybe we are against this movie because it makes us uncomfortable, as all meaningful things should. Who knows? Not I.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut, I do know that United 93 was done in a tasteful, respectful manner, and many of the families affected on 9/11 supported its release. Who are we to say otherwise? See the movie and then make your judgment call. You may find yourself surprised, just as I did.”