United 93 (2006)

Even an Oscar Not Good Enough, by Griz Bear Man

The timing of this film is not the greatest, with the Oscar season just over with, but what difference does that make? An Oscar simply would not be good enough for this film, nor can I find superlatives to do it justice. So why not tell is like it is: brilliant.

I do not know how the film makers could have done a better job. In the air and on the ground, every scene was convincing. The film perhaps displays a slightly higher degree of verisimilitude in the chaotic, frantic control tower scenes than in the cabin of Flight 93 since the film makers had much more information to work with, with several of the traffic controllers and military personnel playing themselves. That in itself was a brilliant stroke, having several of the key people play themselves. All they had to do was act naturally, which they did. The result would put the most dedicated method actor to shame.

Yet even with much less information to go on for reconstructing the events on the cabin of Flight 93, the film makers depicted the events on board during that flight as it unfolded in real time and accomplished this with greater realism than any film I have ever seen. The four actors playing the terrorists all turned in taught, nuanced performances—even Reese Witherspoon, who earlier this year turned in one of the best acting performances I have ever seen in “Walk the Line,” ought to take notes. Personally, I would like to walk up with a black bag to the four young men who had the thankless job of playing the terrorists and pull out four statuettes and hand them Oscars on the spot, if I had the power to do so. No less brilliant were the actors playing the passengers, who shifted with the greatest of ease out of the bored passenger mode into bewildered, frightened people faced with unimaginable horror, who then turned panic and terror into explosive action in spontaneous bursts of energy. They were all unknown actors. There was not a “name” actor in the bunch.

The frenetic pace is relentless throughout the film, yet the film makers remained in control of their subject matter—a feat the equivalent of subduing a grizzly bear with your bare hands. The result, at least for this movie-goer, was total catharsis. Ever since 9/11, I had carried around a kind of rage, bubbling just below the surface. I came out of this movie feeling cleansed, finally at peace after five years, feeling like my body had been washed free of toxins.

Even the movie critics summoned up enough brain waves to give the “United 93” nearly unstinting praise. Still, leave it to them to quibble. The film opened with a blackened screen and the sound of a voice in Arabic, reciting prayers from the Qu’ran. This “humanized” the terrorists was the mild objection from one critic. Poppycock! This was a brilliant stroke. I felt like that when one of the said (in a Arabic), “It’s time. Let’s go.” And the other stopped saying his prayers that, at that precise moment, they separated from God, and forfeited their humanity, in order to choose evil in some of its purest form, although they remained convinced that they were one with God’s will. The genius of that was that they still remained recognizably human, given they knew what they were about to do. They were tense, antsy, scared but determined young men with a job to do, who managed to remain cool, with even the more hot-headed members of their group able to keep a lid on it and not give themselves away. The other passengers and crew were clueless and the terrorists blended in like they were supposed to do.

[Warning! Warning! Spoiler below! Turn back now if you must!]

Yet another mild objection by a critic was to how the passengers evidently killed two of the terrorists whose job was to keeping the cabin covered while their two compadres piloted the plane. This seemed a John Wayne moment to this critic, a concession to the desire for vengeance in American audiences who were seeking catharsis. Poppycock, again! This action was entirely consistent with the circumstances. What does the said critic expect? That the passengers say to the two terrorists, “Oh, excuse me, can you please step aside and let us pass so we can storm the cockpit? It would really help us out”?

My advice is as always: ignore the critics, and go see this film for yourself, if you must. If you don’t see it, of course, I understand, given the topic. But I guaranteed you this: you will see film making at its absolute best. It may even restore your faith in the film industry, especially if you have, as I recently have (on DVD), had the misfortune to view a dog like “The 40 Year-Old Virgin.”

Oh, by the way, I have news for some of you right wing chowderheads who have commented on this site--I am a peace-nik "lib"--but there are some places I draw the line. I believe there is one approach to Osama and Al-Qaeda and one apporach only-clean them out! Nothing, nothing excuses those attacks--I don't care what their grievances were!!! So don't talk to me about "Blaming America first"--I know where the blame lies!!! And I am not impressed with Michael Moore--he has some gifts as a film-maker but I always feel like I cannot trust him that he is more interested in getting Bush than getting after the truth. that I am seeing propaganda, not real documentary film-making (for that, see "Grizzly Man").

My Rating for "United 93":

Five stars * * * * * out of four