United 93

Last night I went to see United 93 with Katz and Gross and I thought it was a great movie. In the past few weeks I've seen ads for the movie on bus stops and when I asked people what it was they told me it was a movie about one of the September 11th flights. A little more inquiring a learned it was about the fourth plane, the one that didn't hit its target because the passengers fought back against the terrorists. I decided it was a movie I would like to see and with September 11th tomorrow, I decided it was a fitting time to see it.

Before leaving the house I read the review and was a little wary when it described the movie as a Docu-Drama. I didn't really want to pay money to go see a documentary, but decided I wanted to see the movie anyway.

Upon leaving the movie, I wasn't disappointed. While some people I have spoken with thought it was very documentary-ish. I think it had just the right amount of documentary-ness in it. The movie kept you glued to your seat in anticipation, even though you knew what was going to happen. I thought the film was shot very well and you really got the feeling you were there, whether there was on the plane or in the tower on the ground.

One thing I thought was interesting is that you don't get any back story. The story starts with the terrorist preparing to leave for the airport and end with the plane crash. You don't learn who the terrorists are or who the heroic passengers are. You don't get into anyone's head. Most of the characters in the movie remain nameless. The star of the movie is the situation, no one person stands out.

I left the movie in a rather somber mood, declining to go to the pool hall for some late night billiards. While I went into the movie knowing the story was true, it wasn't till after I left the movie that it finally hit me- THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Those people really died. They actually took a stand and saved countless lives. The thought was depressing and thought provoking. What would I do in that situation? When will someone next be put in that situation?

On the eve of this historic date, I solute the brave souls that lost their lives five years ago.