Ready for all you readers elder than me to feel old? I was in fifth grade on 9/11. I was being driven to my elementary school in Orchard Park, New York when I was told there was a terrorist attack. The most complicated part of this to me was that I didn’t know what the word “terrorist” meant. Using my limited knowledge of root words I came to the conclusion that “terror” was involved. I also did not know what the World Trade Center was, necessarily. The only New York City landmarks familiar to me were the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. I was only hearing reports over the radio, and I did not have a visual until I got to school.
My teacher’s television was on the news, logically. What I saw I did not entirely understand. The fact that real people were involved in these events was beyond me. Such images could not be seen in real life. It could only happen in movies. To me, that’s what everything I saw was reduced to. It was out of another, fictional universe. It wasn’t a tragedy to me, but a bunch of planes crashing into buildings. In a way I refused to understand it. It took years for me to finally come around and comprehend the tragedy of it all.
In 2006 Paul Greengrass made United 93, the first of two 9/11 films to be released that year. (The second was Oliver Stone’s extra-weepy World Trade Center.) Amidst an uproar which questioned whether our nation was ready for such a film, Greengrass released one of the best films of the decade, and perhaps the most important. Not only was it okay that this film was made, it was entirely essential. Viewing this film brought to the front of my mind various emotions I was not able to grasp on the day itself. This film is a document which will last forever and provide a reference point for people to remember, or teach, the feelings which were prevalent on this terrible day.
Many people cite United 93 as one of those films that is admittedly great but near-impossible to watch twice. I HAVE seen it twice, and it never gets easier, but my appreciation has only grown with each day. What Greengrass does is practically impossible, creating a tension-filled film out of a real-life tragedy without making a bang-bang Hollywood action film out of it. The film is encapsulated in one “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment: the famous line “Let’s roll” is tossed aside without fanfare. More exploitative films would have put it over sweeping music and have it delivered it in a Braveheart-like fashion.
There are no name actors to speak of in United 93, so nothing distracts us from the events onscreen. Many key players even show up as themselves to recreate their actions in almost real time, including FAA National Operations Manager Ben Sliney, who ordered all the planes grounded. Greengrass has no interest in giving us anything but the truth down to the minute details. The events onboard Flight 93 are depicted based on all the available evidence. It requires a lot of guesswork, but it all rings true. There is no dialogue in the traditional sense, but all the passengers talk over each other in a panic, but the energy becomes more focused as they plan their assault. The film had to determine whether or not the passengers breached the cockpit, how they moved forward, and how the plane hit the ground. It’s played with the right balance of heroism, chaos and uncertainty. When the film finally ends, the catharsis is unmatched.
United 93 takes “you are there” filmmaking to a new level. Not only are we sitting on the plane or watching these events, but we are no less than right back on September 11th itself. The film doesn’t know who Osama bin Laden is or what Al Qaeda is, and the feelings of confusion experienced by the people onscreen infiltrate our very minds. Just as Al Qaeda never crosses the film’s mind, thus it never crosses ours. Many films employ a documentary style to take us to an exact place, but United 93 is the only film I’ve seen that is able to incept (!) us with a specific mentality.
Paul Greengrass has become most well-known for action films in the last decade, including the second and third Bourne films and most recently Green Zone. Even in those movies he never reached for nonexistent romanticism or glamour. Contrast this to the digital video direction of (speak of the devil!) Takers, which uses it to make its characters seem cooler and smooth. Greengrass’ camera moves just as our heads would, moving frantically, trying to decipher the terrible events occurring just before our eyes. United 93 does not simply show us 9/11 all over again but gives us a story of what a group of people can do when faced with a simple choice. It is inspiring, disturbing and gripping all at once, making it a near-impossible film to swallow. However, this is one of those rare films that goes under the category of required viewing. It is not pleasant to go back and re-live September 11th, but to ignore it is an insult to each and every one of those passengers on that flight. I end with an overused but always poignant quote by George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Thanks to people like Paul Greengrass, there will always be United 93.
I agree; "United 93" could be a candidate for movie of the decade. I appreciated, as you said, that the "let's roll" line was thrown out and gone quickly, as Mr. Beamer probably did say it. One thing I liked was how the hijackers were not portrayed as cardboard-cutout-bug-eyed-psychotics, but as devout and dedicated, if horribly misguided. The lead hijacker, in particular, was almost the central character in the movie. It's an incredible (and criminally underappreciated) piece of work.
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