I just returned home from watching what in my opinion was a cinematic masterpiece, the new film “United 93.” To all who read my site and then some, I submit this review for what I believe to be the most important movie of the year.
Upon entering the movie theater, I could feel this film was going to be a special one. I had heard “93″ being promoted all over the airwaves of talk radio, but I wanted to find out how good it was for myself (understandable, considering many of the talk show hosts hadn’t even seen it, yet continued to promote the film). Aside from the general opening day movie talk, I wanted to see what really happened because I am not as knowledgeable as some about the events of that day.
Spoiler Alert
The movie begins with the terrorists praying in their hotel room on the morning of September 11, 2001. As the plot progresses, we see these extremists board the plane and wait for the right time to hijack the plane and attempt to steer it to Washington, D.C.
While the audience follows the nothing-out-of-the-ordinary drama in the plane (mainly flight preparation of morning meals and standard take-off procedures), the viewing shifts to the business of the FAA and regional air traffic control centers. Mysteriously, two planes crash into the World Trade Center, getting notice from both military and civilian authorities and sending them into a frenzy.
Suddenly, the terrorists on United 93 take control of the plane, murdering the pilots with knives and exciting fear in the passengers in the form of a fake bomb strapped to one of the hijackers. Slowly, the passengers on the flight began to talk amongst themselves, eventually planning to overtake their captors. Their plan goes into action, throwing the terrorists themselves into panic. The rest of the story, as they say, is history.
I cannot tell you the emotional turmoil I experienced when I sat through the movie. It tugged at my heart strings in the most sincere way. Seeing the fear in the passengers’ eyes while they dialed their families, seeing the sweat on the faces of both passengers and terrorists, seeing the sense of panic and heroism in those who stormed the cockpit, literally brought me to tears. As the passengers of United 93 stormed the cockpit, the audience in the theater literally clapped and cheered as the passengers retook the plane. This was not any ordinary movie moment, it was a moment that made me proud to be an American.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone - liberal, conservative, or anyone in between. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, this movie is not one bit biased, but truly represents the pain and anguish our country felt on September 11, 2001. I encourage all of you to see this movie and attempt to realize we should be thankful for those who have given their lives for the freedom of others.
