United 93

In 35 years they'll make a film in the same vein as JFK showing released footage of the crash or something. Actually sort of curious there is no one demanding that footage to be seen.
 
I just saw United 93 tonight, and it was very disturbing, sad, suspenseful. I don't think I'm going to be flying for a while! It wasn't as cheesy as I thought it would be, it was shot very well ( alot of close ups and the shaky look).

Well that's my review.
 
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Just saw the film. All I can say is I am still recovering from it, and it was indeed the most moving film I think I've ever seen. I cried three times during the film, and felt glued to my seat when it was over. Go see this movie now! And those people in that plane were true patriots!
 
I can't wait to watch this movie, it looks really good. But of course, I'm also smart enough to watch it as a fiction, or partly true story.
 
briceman said:
Just saw the film. All I can say is I am still recovering from it, and it was indeed the most moving film I think I've ever seen. I cried three times during the film, and felt glued to my seat when it was over. Go see this movie now! And those people in that plane were true patriots!
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Amen
 
oneinfiniteloop said:
WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILERS!!!

Ok, I just got back from seeing United 93 and here's my take on the film:

For starters, it is incredibly powerful. Whether you think it's too soon or not soon enough, this film holds some cinematic weight behind it. The style may be hard for some to digest, very much handheld and immersed in the passengers/air traffic controllers world, but it is clear and concise. I was very weary about it playing out in real time, but Greengrass and crew executed that perfectly.

There is a scene towards the end, in which people on United realized the plane was a suicide mission. The camera was at eye level with the passengers in their seats as they recited the Lord's prayer. It moved from passenger to passenger while each reflected in their own way. Then it cut to the hijackers praying in Arabic, then back to a passenger, then to a hijacker, then it smoothly and naturally transisitoned out to people talking to their loved ones. I thought that was the denoumant of the film. Breathtaking!

Every American, every person in this world can watch this film and say this or say that. There is a ton of criticism it can, and probably will, endure, but in the long run 9/11 wasn't an event about governments, politics, religon, war, peace, love, hate...it was an event about people. People coming together, people and their convictions. There convictions to crash a plane, or their convictions to storm a cockpit. People made that day, people died that day, and this film demonstrates that in the most pure way a movie of this accord can do. I have respect for that.

On a closing note, I was brought to tears at the end. When I got up to leave, my girlfriend realized her hand was hurting from me and her clenching them together so tightly. My view on 9/11 has forever been changed by this film.
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Very good review man. I was going to write something that long, but I felt no matter how much I explained it there would still be a few Nazis on this board saying that it's ridiculous they released it so early. To them I say HA!
 
I saw this movie today. It was very very realistic and really did not feel like a movie. At first I did not like the handheld shooting style of Greengrass, because it was almost too shaky and overdone, but once it got into it, plus the fact that this is indeed a real event, I think the shooting style made the film much more realistic and true to the heart. I cried many times during the movie as did many other patrons around me. I can still remember sitting in class and another teacher running into the room saying the pentagon was hit, and we turned on our tvs and saw the 2nd plane hit the tower real time. Seeing that again in this movie, actually in context with real peoples emotions - well anyone that is skeptical, please give this a chance and go see this, as you will not be dissapointed. I think they did a wonderful job making sure this was true in every detail. I had tears streaming down my face as the passengers said their goodbyes and took over the plane. This was one of the most moving pieces I have ever seen, and I urge anyone who hasnt seen this to go see it.
I read in the credits that most of the air traffic control and military personnel in the movie were played by the real people that were there. That to me says alot. I think that was a good choice for the film as it made the dialogue much more reaistic. Also, the dialogue wasnt like a normal movie - always polished and perfect. The actors stuttered, talked over each other, thought about something mid sentence, were interrupted like crazy - as we do and talk in real life. Also, the cameras didnt cut to these perfect angles all the time like we tend to see in every film dialogue conversation. It was very real.
I feel like I am repeating myself alot, but to me I dont consider this a movie. (meaning Im not going to say, "this was my favorite movie!") Its in a category all in itself. I wasnt picking it apart like I do most movies, I wasnt checking the lighting and the sound (which was amazing by the way). I just sat back and remembered all the feelings that I had on that tragic day. I am so moved.

I hope somebody understands these words....
 
I saw it last night. It was a great film in my eyes, and at the same time horrifying. When the control tower went silent as the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower, the theater I was in went dead quiet...I could hear sobbing from around the room, it was the most surreal feeling I have felt since I found out my older bro was injured in Fallujah. I recommend that everyone go see this. You deserve to.
 
KevinPeeples said:
I feel like I am repeating myself alot, but to me I dont consider this a movie. (meaning Im not going to say, "this was my favorite movie!") Its in a category all in itself. I wasnt picking it apart like I do most movies, I wasnt checking the lighting and the sound (which was amazing by the way). I just sat back and remembered all the feelings that I had on that tragic day. I am so moved.

I hope somebody understands these words....
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I think this sums up the movie really well. Ever since I saw it opening night I felt very differently about this film. It didn't feel like a "film" in the conventional sense, it definately feel like it was on a different plane from other movies. I couldn't figure it out until I read this.

Also, the sound was something else! As usual, it was probably the thing that dragged you into it the most. I've been trying to find some more articles on how they made it, but it seems like no one involved with production is talking about it. If anyone has some links, that would be great.
 
I thought the movie was amazing.

I'm not sure what movie I could compare this too. It was so unhollywood. There were no heroes, victims, or villians in the traditional sense. It was never about politics or religion. It was a moving documentary that never resorted to trickery to get you to feel a certain way.

I am still sort of reeling from the after-effect.

Chris
 
I saw this movie because a friend that I trust assured me that I HAD to see it. I don't really know what to say. First of all, I hate movies where you know the outcome. I understand why some people like this ("It's about the JOURNEY man. The journey!") but the most exciting thing about movies, the ending, is taken away from you when you use this structure. That being said, I feel like this is a big screen version of slowing down to take a good long look at that car wreck hoping (but hoping not) to see just a little bit of carnage.

I get that some people are trying to "remember" 9-11. And I don't by any means think it should be forgotten. But watching these people die in this plane, it was terrifying and I'm not quite sure what purpose it served. We watch these horrifying deaths of yours which are every bit as much of a nightmare as we believed... and what's the point? So we can "remember"? This is exactly how I pictured it. I didn't need a movie to tell me this. Some people will argue it's to see that the passengers saved countless numbers of lives. But that was never mentioned in the film. To these passengers it wasn't about saving others. It was about saving themselves. At least that's the way Greengrass presented it.
So I'm still confused as to why this movie was made.

As for the filmmaking itself. I dug the camerawork. I thought it worked. Looking out of that cockpit, I thought that was one of the more convincing "we really are in the air" shots I've seen. The sound was awesome. I mean horrifyingly awesome. You felt that plane shake when it shook. The acting however, I wasn't too keen on. Real life people bring a "real life quality" to acting, but at the same time they bring an uninterestingness. They don't understand when to dramatize something, when to hold back. There's a reason actors get paid the big bucks. They're good at what they do (well some anyway). There were a few times where people were saying unconvincing lines that gave them away as "real people" and it took me out of it. In the command center for instance. And just because they were talking over each other didn't mean it was "good" acting. it just meant Paul Greengrass said "don't be afraid to talk over each other." That was my only gripe though. Other than that, I thought it was a really well-directed film.

One thing I thought was verrrrry interesting was the scene in which they decided to ground all the planes. It really shined a light on a major problem with the world, the airline industry, and America in particular. Money really does drive everything. This guy knows that if he shuts down every airport in America that it's a billion dollar decision. People are dying and planes are being hijacked, sure. But with that much money on the line, he will lose his job if he makes the wrong decision. So if you're in that position, how long do you wait? It took, what they believed was, 11 hijacked planes and 3 crashes before they did anything. That's what a billion dollars does to your decision-making process.

If you didn't read every newspaper article and don't know a lot about what happened on United 93 that day and you're interested in learning more, go see this movie. But if you watched CNN non-stop and got every little piece of info that came out about that flight and know everything from the phone calls to the killing of the pilots and stewardess to the fatefal crash, I don't see any reason for you to see this film. It just puts an "official" image in your head for those events, an image you already have. I know some people will argue this, saying it's also about the confusion that surrounded the events that day, but in the end, it's about that flight. And we already know what happened.
 
C.G.

I totally respect your opinion and I understand why you would say "why do we need to see this movie". I don't think people "need" to see it. In fact if someone is on the fence, I would recommend they don't see it. My wife wouldn't go with me and I think she made the right decision for her.

As for knowing the outcome, there are hundreds of succesful movies made where the ending is not a suprise. In watching this film, I was surprised at how much it effected me. It made me feel and hurt and think. And that is why I enjoyed "the journey".

Chris
 
CMessineo said:
As for knowing the outcome, there are hundreds of succesful movies made where the ending is not a suprise. In watching this film, I was surprised at how much it effected me. It made me feel and hurt and think. And that is why I enjoyed "the journey".

Chris
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I have to agree with this, for every book, story, and remake that has ever been adapted, someone knew the outcome of the film, i.e. King Kong, Black Hawk Down, Munich, Fight Club, Apollo 13, upcoming Da Vinci Code, ad nausea. For each aforementioned movie with the exception of Da Vinci Code, the ending was very "new" and important to me, yet still known. Truthfully, the ending in United 93 was the most powerful and impactful ending I've EVER seen in a movie. None of these movies, or any others, have made me feel the way I did when I watched United.
 
CMessineo said:
...There were no heroes, victims, or villians in the traditional sense.
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That is true. I think that is something that helped this film, that the incident drove the movie, not a face, or a name, and we followed different aspects of the story, and not just one guys feelings while he /she partakes in it.

And that ending.... wow. I did not expect it to end like that. I dont want to spoil it for someone who hasnt seen it, but wow. So un hollywood of an ending, yet one of the most powerful Ive seen.
 
After reading this whole thread, I've decided I'm going to see the next showing of it today. I don't care that I have things to do, because after hearing how emotional and moving this was I don't think I can wait any longer. I'll post my thoughts when I come back tonight.

-Kegan
 
I thought it was a good movie. It didn't throw me off an emotional edge like it did for some people.


possible spoilers...




I think that very last shot of the plane driving into the ground and then cuting to black hit me the hardest out of everything. but I don't know...maybe b/c I've seen it all so many times...it wasn't anything new to me.
 
Saw it last night. Very powerful. Would have liked to have more focus on the backstories of the people on the plane, but I wasn't really watching it like a movie, more like a documentary (that lines bound to get some responses.) Very well made. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that all revenues made after the film's cost is covered will be donated to the families. Is that true?
 
*spoilers*

well, ya know, I'm kinda surprised people are so moved by that last shot, because I was about 99% sure that would be the last shot in the movie. I mean, it had to be. So when I saw it, I saw it more as "that necessary shot" than I did part of the movie. I don't know. Maybe I purposefully detached myself so it wouldn't affect me, but whatever.
 
"but I heard that all revenues made after the film's cost is covered will be donated to the families. Is that true?"


I missed the first part of the behind the scenes show on tv, but from what I heard from the other room is, yes most of it. One of the main reasons the director/writer/producer PAUL GREENGRASS made the movie, is because the victims families were 100% behind him to make it (they wanted the story to be told). They helped in the movie, as far as helping the actors get a better feel of how their sons and daughters were. I wouldn't say this is a must see movie, but if you were wondering what really happened, then go see it. It's very sad!! God bless
 
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