United 93

United 93 (Paul Greengrass, UK/US, 2006) ★★★★

911 is the most important event after entering 21st century, everyone was saying this is the next subject Hollywood will target on just shortly after it. Just as expected, there are 2 movies about what happened right during the 911 out event 5 years later in the year 2006. One is directed by Oliver Stone, about 2 cops trapped in the wreckage of the collapsed “World Trade Center,” the other is this “United 93” directed by a British director Paul Greengrass.

Being the only flight that didn’t let the terrorists gain their purpose of crashing it into the target, people admired the bravery of the passengers on the flight, but it's hard for them to imagine what actually happened. And this film, which presents the details of what happened on United 93, satisfies the public which wants to know more about these people.

The film begins with the terrorists who were praying in the hotel room, later on crossly goes on between the terminal, the flight control center, the flight bureau and the flight itself, makes audience feel like experiencing it. Besides those unknown but brilliant second rate actors, the specific screenplay Greengrass wrote after collecting the recording records and informations is also the major reason makes this film outstanding.

Greengrass showed his skill of setting a real situation in “Bloody Sunday,” which won the best picture at Berlin Film Festival, and still great in this film. Plus the precise editing, make this film have a documentary structure but also an action flick texture. During the splendid and compact course, humanity of facing danger or preparing to sacrifice oneself can also be deeply felt.

This film takes an objective angle that makes no comments at all, although we’ve already taken the terrorists as villains and those who against them are heroes, but things can never be so simple. Greengrass wants it to be just all about United 93 as the title, without any moral judgment or consequence of the event, it ends just at the most thrilling second when the flight hit the ground.