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Just minutes prior to the screening of
United 93 there was a lot of
chitchat among the film critics
anticipating at best an awkward and
misguided attempt to present a very
personal and unpleasant American
tragedy.
At worse, some of us feared such a film
would sensationalize and exploit the
lives of the heroic passengers doomed on
Flight 93. Just making the movie seemed
undignified. In short, it’s a film many
people would prefer not to see depicted
on the big screen, now or in the near
future. With little faith in Hollywood
to treat this open wound of a memory
with accuracy and dignity, it was a
relief to see that we were wrong.
When the movie ended, it was a solemn
moment. Moviegoers quietly filed out of
the theater. Few words were exchanged.
We paid our respects by our silence. You
could feel a shared sense of awe and
admiration among the audience for that
group of average people flying
helplessly to a destination that would
result not only in their own deaths but
the tragic demise of hundreds of other
innocent Americans as they executed a
daring plan to overcome four fanatical
terrorists.
Director Paul Greengrass’ effort far
exceeded our expectations, replacing
skepticism with appreciation. I can’t
imagine any other director taking on
this project and delivering such a
powerful, riveting film.
Greengrass explores the story of United
Flight 93 from beginning to end via four
vantage points: the air traffic control
tower in New York; FAA headquarters in
Virginia; NORAD, a military surveillance
installation in Colorado Springs, Colo.;
and from inside the aircraft.
As the first hijacking unfolds, air
traffic controllers are so surprised
they assume it’s a technical glitch and
are slow to respond. Soon a second plane
is hijacked, drawing the attention of
FAA command central director Ben Sliney.
Sliney’s performance is solid, real and
convincing. That’s because in real life
Sliney was director of the FAA during
9/11, and plays himself.
What makes this film work is that
director Greengrass wisely chose
virtually unknown actors to play the
roles instead of stars like Harrison
Ford and Bruce Willis. Viewers feel like
they’re watching real people with all
their strengths and frailties. And, by
including a handful of the actual
players that lived through that infamous
day, like Sliney, the story plays out in
real time with believable characters.
Knowing the outcome of Flight 93,
I was surprised to feel a sense of dread
whenever the camera returned to the
cabin of the aircraft. I actually felt
relief when the scene switches back to
FAA headquarters to witness an army of
bureaucrats scrambling to keep up with
the seemingly uncontrollable events and
shocking scene of a smoking World Trade
Center on CNN.
One poignant moment in the film takes
place in the air traffic control tower
in New York City as controllers stand in
stunned silence watching a second
aircraft plow into the second tower of
the World Trade Center. They’re in a
state of shock. No one knows what to do.
Slowly and somewhat ineptly officials
begin to take action.
The lack of preparedness in our military
response is presented by the commander
of NORAD, who scrambles Air Force
fighters to intercept the hijacked
planes, only to discover later the
fighters lacked weapons or flew off on
standard preplanned flight paths in the
opposite direction of their intended
targets. It was a unbelievably sobering
scene.
Based on actual flight recordings, cell
phone calls to family members and the
memories of those actually there at the
time of these events, United 93
will probably stand the test of time as
the most accurate portrait of a day none
of us will ever forget. |
