UNITED 93 (DVD/WS/DD5.1/2.35:1/ENGLISH/FRENCH/SPANISH)

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One of the most shocking events in modern American history gets a skilled and respectful treatment in United 93. The movie begins by following the four terrorists who hijacked the plane that never reached its target on 9/11/2001, tracking them as they enter the airport and wait for their flight, surrounded by the people who will die from their actions. From there, it cuts to and fro among air traffic controllers and the military as, gradually, it becomes clear that planes are being hijacked and crashed into buildings. As the focus turns to the captive United Flight 93, the passengers discover, due to cell phone connections with family, that they're on a suicide mission and--almost paralyzed by stress and anxiety--decide to fight back. Most movies create tension by implying what might happen, but with United 93 the audience knows exactly what happened: Every person on that plane died. As a result, the movie is more relentlessly gut-wrenching than suspenseful (though the dawning realization of the air traffic controllers has an effective creeping dread). But writer/director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) manages to keep the scale of the events human; there are no glamorous heroics, only terrifying confusion and desperate, hopeless bravery. One can only hope the movie brings some peace to the families of the passengers, as United 93 is the cinematic equivalent of a war memorial, commemorating lives lost in a moment of horrible, harrowing conflict. --Bret Fetzer

• Actors: Christian Clemenson, Trish Gates, Cheyenne Jackson, David Alan Basche, Opal Alladin
• Director: Paul Greengrass
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language (Original Language): English
• Language (Subtitled): English
• Language (Subtitled): French
• Language (Dubbed): French
• Language (Dubbed): Spanish
• Region Code: 1
• Release Date: 2006-09-05
• Running Time: 111 minutes
• Theatrical Release Date: 2006-04-28

Customer Reviews

Reviewed on 2008-06-10 One Perspective. This is about as a good a piece of speculative fiction about 9/11 as Tora Tora Tora is about Pearl Harbor. I'd recommend instead a different "Kurosawa" film, Rashomon, which features multiple perspectives on one event and allows the viewers to find the truth for themselves.

Reviewed on 2008-06-02 Gruesome, thought-provoking, and most importantly, evokes admiration for true American heroes I can't help but feel ashamed that for quite a while, I wouldn't see this movie. Not because it's horrific, mind you, but because of the fact that I once foolishly assumed that this was exploitative film-making, that not only would it fail to honor the heroes in United 93, but also that it would cheapen the significance of one out of four awful incidents of that tragic day. I absolutely loved the way "25th Hour" from Spike Lee handled the 9/11 subject matter: as a background and parallel to the characters' lives. I couldn't imagine watching something that directly dealt with it. I can't say how deeply upset "United 93" made me, and yet how proud I am that someone sitting next to me on the subway potentially could have that kind of courage to deal with unimaginable circumstances, I certainly am unsure as to how I would handle something like that. Despite that I knew what the outcome would be, I never stopped rooting for the terrific ensemble cast, and even within the last few minutes, the film provoked a feeling that somehow and some way, the passengers would survive. I remember that when it happened, I was in a college dorm watching the WTC footage live on the television. As gut-wrenching as I felt back then, the scenes that took place at the various control centers made me realize how lucky I was to have the comfort of friends around me as opposed to having to directly deal with the situation. The light small talk that the passengers were having before and after lift-off is very human and very scary: that something very ordinary as talking about your grandchildren with someone sitting next to you could happen within the same few minutes that a hijack would occur. On a side note, I'm still very wary of watching "World Trade Center" from Oliver Stone, as I find that his style is "more is more", and that he has all the moving parts of a Hollywood Blockbuster that overall lacks humanity. However, I was wrong about this exceptional film, and so it's possible that I may be jumping the gun again. Now though, I at least feel I owe it a viewing to make up my mind.

Reviewed on 2008-05-29 A TRAVESTY Like the 9/11 Report upon which it's based, it's laughably easy to expose this travesty for what it is, i.e., another media collusion with the murderous gangsters who run the United States government and who perpetrated 9/11. Next time you take a commercial flight, bring your cell phone and watch the reception bars drop to zero soon after takeoff; after about 8,000 feet you never get even one bar. (I've done this 14 times and counting.) What does this mean? It means that the cell phone calls supposedly made from Flight 93 were faked. It means that our government -- in what's known as a 'false flag operation' -- perpetrated the 'attacks'. (Their motive should be obvious to all but the mindless.) Before you pipe up with the usual "Nutcase conspiracy theory!!!!" just do it. Try to get even one bar from above 8,000 feet. Then go to the 9/11 Commission Report and read that the cell phone calls were made from between 35,000 feet and 40,000 feet. Impossible. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The two disc 'Special Edition' includes a documentary called Chasing Planes, produced by Michael Bronner (a producer of United 93) in which the government/filmmakers try to persuade us that 93 was not shot down, mostly through interviews with NORAD officers Marr and Arnold. Problem is, everything they say is completely contradicted by onscreen TV interviews they did immediately after 9/11. I'll paraphrase both of them: "We had jets shadowing Flight 93 and were prepared to shoot it down", and "We were prepared to take lives in the air to save lives on the ground." Now both they and the 9/11 Commission claim the nearest fighter jet were 100 miles away and that the FAA didn't tell the military (NORAD) about 93 until well after it crashed. A bald-faced, incredible lie, as the Norad time line of September 18, 2001 had been saying for three years before the 9/11 Commission's fantasy was published to save the military/the Bush administration from charges of treason and mass murder. "All that was necessary was an unending series of victories over our own memory." George Orwell on history rewriting, in 1984. Get out of the pit of denial most Americans (including the two hundred and some odd other reviewers of this film) live in: To start with, read The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions

Reviewed on 2008-04-19 A Tragedy Told As Close To The Way It Was As Possible United 93 was a very powerful film, though hard to watch. The filmmakers did extensive research so that the film could portray as accurate a picture of the events as possible. They talked to the families of the survivors and got them on board before making the film, consulted with them, and gave them a special showing before the film was released, so the families feelings were taken into account. There were no Hollywood type invented side stories or personal dramas added to the story line. The movie, United 93 didn't just take place on the airplane, but much of it also took place in various control towers, which was quite interesting. Also some of the people in the film were the actual people who were involved with the events at the time. If you don't mind revisiting 9/11, I would recommend this film to you. I don't think any movie could do a better, more responsible job than United 93.

Reviewed on 2008-04-11 A tribute that hits every mark and remains an honorable memoriam of the ones we lost... Paul Greengrass had a hefty undertaking here. Not even five years had passed since the tragic events of 9/11 took place before Greengrass started filming his tribute to the brave souls aboard United 93. The horrific events were not only still fresh in the minds of the American public but the subject was sore indeed. Greengrass was either going to succeed in bringing the American public together in their praise and admiration of his film or he was going to send them running from the theaters in aggravation and frustration and thus risked becoming the director labeled as the one who failed to do justice to such a grave subject. I think we can all agree that Greengrass succeeded marvelously here. `United 93' is a beautifully honest rendering of the tragic day known as 9/11. Taking an honest look into not only the lives of the `victims' aboard the plane but also the hijackers and the befuddled men and women on the ground, `United 93' is able to reach into the pit of its audiences soul and extract a real connection to the events taking place on the screen. The film opens with a calm and eerie depiction of the four men responsible for this tragedy preparing themselves for their `mission'. It's the perfect way to open the film for it automatically lets us know who these men our. What I appreciate about what Greengrass does here is that, instead of shooting for the obvious and making this film all about how `evil' and `sadistic' these hijackers were he goes for the more intellectual route by showing us how `human' they were. They honestly thought they were doing gods will. It doesn't excuse their horrific actions, and of course neither does this film, but Greengrass successfully creates human `villains' for us. As effective as the opening is, it's the ending that will really stay with you. As much as we know how this story ends we find ourselves anticipating the passengers to `save the day' so-to-speak and so when the film abruptly ends we are left heartbroken all over again, as if we are hearing about these events for the first time. Another aspect of `United 93' that is so masterful is the way Greengrass is able to depict the sudden and effortless decline into confusion and frustration, especially when concerning the men and women still on the ground. As we are led through the events unfolding before the air traffic controllers we are instantly placed in their shoes and this overwhelming feeling of panic and desperation is etched across our bodies. We feel tense; we feel scared; we feel alone. By capturing this feeling Greengrass is able to keep the intensity high throughout the entire film, never losing the mood of the film. The performances by the cast of unknowns are fantastic; utterly flawless. By casting real life airline employees he was able to capture a true human nature to the reactions of the crew as well as the passengers. Also, but casting no-name actors he was able to capture the raw realism of the events. There are no recognizable faces here so there is no way we can be taken out of the film so-to-speak. This way we are always thinking about the people being portrayed and not the actor doing the portraying. I think when speaking of the acting one must point out the brilliance of the four actors portraying the hijackers. Khalid Abdalla, Lewis Alsamari, Omar Berdouni and Jamie Harding all attacked these roles with fearlessness and confidence. It was a brave thing, taking on the roles of men who are so loathed, feared and detested in America, but the manage to make these men real and human and thus utterly blew me away. Ben Sliney has also received a lot of attention and praise for his performance (he played himself). I must also mention him and his masterful performance; truly grounded and natural. In the end though, this film belongs to Paul Greengrass. His direction of this film is flawless (that Oscar should have been his). His tribute is so honorable. That word seems appropriate for this film; honorable. It handles the events, not with sugarcoated delicacy but with emotional resonance and realistic humanity. The film is gritty and raw and abrasive but in a way that captures the heart of the people involved. `United 93' is one of the most controversial films around, and truly one of the most difficult to sit through; but it is a masterpiece of modern film making and is a film that everyone should experience at least once.

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