United 93 takes us back to the dark hours of the September 11th attacks bringing back anger, sadness, and fear but with thought a sense of hope, I say this due to United 93 showing us the events within the hijacked aircraft. Call sign United 93 with us already knowing the outcome of the first three hijacked planes this is the story of the forth, as the tagline reads Director Paul Greengrass was able to write and direct a movie that needed no explanation. But did require him to show us what by the end of the movie I had realised, was just how evil and inhumane members of humanity can be but still giving us the positive aspect. Being that when faced with destruction those with courage became the embodiment of the definition of humanity, defending others despite realising the eventuality of their lives being lost to protect and defend others. The darkest aspects of humanity were shown on that day but also the valiant aspects had emerged to, this is what I had taken away from United 93 this is what we can all realise after 1 hour and 51 minutes. Not the quality of the movie that was made, but the message that is being displayed, historical events depicting in film are like finding a four-leafed clover so finding the message within the movie is the objective set for the viewer.

I happened to see United 93 when visiting family in a London rental apartment and given we know the tragic ending, I must admit I didn't think I could be so gripped by United 93. Maybe it's because the director and writer Paul Greengrass is British, we get a non-gung-ho but moving account of this terrorist attack. The cast doesn't have any big Hollywood names, but we still really want them to overpower the terrorists.Even in the final, gripping and horrific scene, I was hoping against hope that the brave passengers managed to land the plane. That's how convincing I thought the acting was. I mean, when I watched the Titanic (the Kate Winslet one), I just felt it was inevitable that the iceberg would prevail, but in United 93 I really thought that just maybe in an alternative universe where Gore won the Miami recount in 2000, the terrorists would be overcome by the heroic Americans.

How can a film so void of artistry be so effective? This is the question that lurked in my mind throughout United 93. The answer is simple: it's effective the same way watching news footage of the the planes striking the Twin Towers is effective--it confides in the sheer importance, and the Horrifying nature of these events. It's something real, something profound. But is that truly enough? Paul Greengrass thinks so.So, what is the difference between this film and, say, Faces of Death? Well, that's a tough question. Both rely on the pretense that you're watching a horrific act unfold in real time in front of your eyes; neither film has any substance or characterization, nor do they pretend to. So, why is one critically praised and the other deemed pseudo- snuff? I honestly cannot answer that. I do not know. Another film in the hyper-realism, docudrama genre is Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant', a film I've rated a 10 here on IMDb. The two are very similar in their approach. But what separates these two films is artistry. 'Elephant' is a film fluid in symbolism and meaning, 'United 93' is a film fluid in heedless chaos. Nonetheless, 'United 93' is an intense and harrowing thriller despite it's ultimate empty- headedness. A film everyone should see once. 7/10

I have just seen this film for the first time, many years after the events that we all remember so clearly. It was shocking, although I knew what to expect. seeing the events of 9/11 unfolding from the perspective of the ground personnel trying to make sense of it all, the sense of urgency and apparently their inability to prevent the hijacked planes reaching their targets. The main focus of the film was on the events on the fourth hijacked plane which crashed in Pennsylvania. No one knows exactly what happened on that plane, but there is enough information available to construct a totally credible sequence of events.it's one of the most tense things I have ever watched and I was aware of my own fear responses kicking in. The performances of everyone involved are impeccable and completely realistic. Paul Greengrass made documentaries before this film and this shows in the filming and the non-sensationalist approach. The dialogue lacks any dramatic stirring speeches or anything we would expect from a conventional action movie. It's all about how ordinary people would react in a terrifying situation where initially they don't know what is happening, and then the reality dawns on them and they attempt to do whatever they can to survive.I was fascinated by the detail of what happened in Air Traffic Control from the first suspicion that something was wrong, to the events that we saw on the news. I assume that these events were recorded and everything really happened. It takes time for people to understand something so awful and so incomprehensible, even those who are highly competent and very experienced. I remember how I felt, listening to the radio and looking at the news coverage in the UK. I was bewildered, but it was a long way from me. For these people it was their responsibility to deal with an unknown threat situation.The power of this film is in its matter-of-fact approach which doesn't make judgements and presents the facts as they are known, in a very dramatic way. I am glad that I was brave enough to finally see it. Well done to everyone involved.