Sunday, February 11, 2007

Movie Review: United 93

I was scared to watch this movie. Watching something about 9/11 when the memories are still so vivid ... but I'm very glad that I did. This film is an important story, and it will be an important document of 9/11 50 years from now. When Mike and I started the movie, I was nervous that something in it would be handled poorly, embarrassing the memory of the event, instead of honoring it. But that moment never came. Paul Greengrass (who wrote and directed) deserves great credit for creating the best constructed movie I have seen from 2006, and doing it with such emotional source material. Many of the people involved in that day (FAA officials, air traffic controllers, military personnel) play themselves, and that works surprisingly well. The film is also a scathing indictment of the administration, showing us how little ability our airspace control system as a whole had to deal with a situation of this magnitude, despite the heroic efforts of individual members. As a result, the passengers and crew of United 93 are on their own, and their final act is captured movingly and appropriately in this film.

Next Up: The Departed

2 comments:

BEESTLYproducts said...

you are out of control with the movies! haha! i'm just gonna ask you before i add things to my netflix. <3

Gloria Quincy said...

I am a bit out of control! It was my goal to watch everything I could before the Oscars.

And if you need any recommendations, I'm game.