free movie trailers

“United 93,” written and directed by British filmmaker Paul Greengrass, is a gut-wrenching documentary style re-creation in real time of what may have happened aboard that 91-minute flight as doomed passengers took matters into their own hands and overwhelmed their terrorist hijackers. Indeed, the passengers on the fourth hijacked plane were the only ones aboard any of the hijacked flights who had the benefit of knowing how other planes had been used to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon earlier that fateful day.

The end result is a riveting movie going experience where many of the real participants who were on duty on 9/11 play themselves (including the FAA’s Ben Sliney, commercial airline pilots, civilian and military controllers, and flight attendants such as Trish Gates who plays Sandra Bradshaw), alongside accomplished stage and screen actors (Denny Dillon, John Rothman, Christian Clemenson, and Chip Zien).  Together, they are convincing as ordinary citizens who find themselves facing overwhelming, unimaginable terror and find the strength to rise bravely and spontaneously to the occasion.  Todd Beamer’s (David Alan Basche) call to arms and his fellow passengers’ response is portrayed as more than simply an expression of heroism, but as a defiant act against terrorism and tyranny.

The film is impeccably directed and tightly paced.  Greengrass allows events to unfold realistically as the hijackers begin the day with ritual prayer and preparation for their mission, flight controllers and airline crew follow their morning routine, passengers wait to embark, and the Northeast Air Defense Sector responds to initial reports of a possible hijacking.  The film’s pace lags only briefly during the final moments when helplessly panicked passengers phone loved ones while others strategize how to overtake their captors then hesitate to make their move mirroring their captors’ actions only moments earlier.

Barry Ackroyd’s hand-held camerawork conveys eloquently the surprise and chaos as air traffic controllers are caught off guard by the unexpected hijackings, NADS scrambles to establish rules of engagement, and passengers fight to regain control of Flight 93 in a final blur of action that the audience already knows will lead to a deadly outcome. The editing by Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse, and Richard Person is superb as the film cuts from airport control towers to the FAA’s command center to the NADS operations center in upstate New York.  One of the most agonizing moments in the film occurs when desperate and confused air traffic controllers at Newark Airport look out the window of their control tower to see the plane that has disappeared from their screen plunge into the World Trade Center.  Composer John Powell’s economical score is used effectively to build suspense and underscore the film’s most dramatic moments.

United 93 is brilliantly crafted, meticulously researched, and non-exploitative.  It is a respectful tribute to the courageous men and women who faced the harrowing events of 9/11 and is definitely one of the best films so far this year.  While some may question if this is the right time for such a film, there is no doubt that Greeengrass’ compelling look at catastrophic events in our recent past will provoke conversation and reflection.

full length mpeg movies
watch movies on the internet
download full United 93 movies
download United 93 dvd online
full length United 93 mpeg movies
download a United 93 movie
watch movies online

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 4:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.