United 93 [2006]

Product Details

Director : Paul Greengrass
Format : PAL, Widescreen
Aspect Ratio : 2.35:1
Binding : DVD
EAN : 5050582449815
Product Group : DVD
Region Code : 2
Release Date : 2006-10-02
Running Time : 106minutes
Studio : Universal Pictures Video

ASIN : B000G8NPX0

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

One of the most shocking events in modern American history gets a skilled and respectful treatment in United 93. The movie begins by following the four terrorists who hijacked the plane that never reached its target on 9/11/2001, tracking them as they enter the airport and wait for their flight, surrounded by the people who will die from their actions. From there, it cuts to and fro among air traffic controllers and the military as, gradually, it becomes clear that planes are being hijacked and crashed into buildings. As the focus turns to the captive United Flight 93, the passengers discover, due to cell phone connections with family, that they're on a suicide mission and--almost paralyzed by stress and anxiety--decide to fight back. Most movies create tension by implying what might happen, but with United 93 the audience knows exactly what happened: Every person on that plane died. As a result, the movie is more relentlessly gut-wrenching than suspenseful (though the dawning realisation of the air traffic controllers has an effective creeping dread). But writer/director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) manages to keep the scale of the events human; there are no glamourous heroics, only terrifying confusion and desperate, hopeless bravery. One can only hope the movie brings some peace to the families of the passengers, as United 93 is the cinematic equivalent of a war memorial, commemorating lives lost in a moment of horrible, harrowing conflict. --Bret Fetzer

Synopsis

United 93, director Paul Greengrass's meticulous reconstruction of the events surrounding the crash--the result of a heroic struggle between the passengers and hijackers--of the fourth plane to be hijacked on September 11, 2001, is a momentous piece of filmmaking. Greengrass has chosen the most politically and emotionally charged source material available to an artist in the early 21st century, and shaped it into a psychologically draining, terrifyingly real, and technically brilliant film. Like his first feature-length work Bloody Sunday, United 93 doesn't follow a traditional cinematic narrative structure; via hand-held cameras, grainy DV stock, and frenetic editing, it instead presents a visceral (at times sickening) in-the-moment documentary-style experience that maximizes the film's unavoidable air of tension and dread without being crassly manipulative. Yet for all of its precision and craft, United 93 still depicts one of the most terrifying ordeals the United States has ever had to face--and that it was released less than five years after those events took place plays an undeniably enormous role in how the film is received. It is impossible to watch United 93 and not be profoundly moved, whether that emotion is fear, sadness, anxiety, or pure rage. It is an emotional catharsis far removed from what is the filmmaker's delicate hand and deft touch. Greengrass, though, is quite fearless in his depiction of the chaos of the day--the President is frustratingly missing; the FAC, NORAD, and local air-traffic control centres are shown in a disoriented panic; and the terrorists are brutal and remorseless--and, to his credit, he avoids soft-pedalling any political agenda and doesn't blindly canonize the flight's passengers. Rather, their heroism is treated as the product of a logical decision made by ordinary men and women who found themselves in the most extraordinary and illogical of situations and that, ultimately, is where the power of United 93 lies.

Customer Reviews

Good, gritty film. (2008-07-09)

This film is very moody and has 'documentary' style camera work throughout, can be quite hard to follow what's been said but that is obviously done to capture the confusion on the day flight 93 was hijacked and it works well you really get a sense of panic and confusion as the flight controllers on the ground struggle to work out just what's going on and the passengers work out that they are been used as Kamikaze passengers.Overall a good film, difficult to watch as it's a real sad story but of course in other ways they were heroes saving the plane from getting to it's target. Atmospheric, tense film, a 'strong' four stars.

i could'nt stop crying (2008-05-21)

watching something like this makes me so thankful to be alive. I gave my partner a massive hug at the end of this,with tears streaming down my face. I was incrediably moved.Anyone who isn't has a heart of stone.

Terrifying (2008-03-23)

I was an emotional wreck by the end of this film. I was haunted for days afterwards too. It not only brought the intense memories of these events back but added a realism that if you allow it too (and I did), draws you right into the events as the action unfolds.What makes it even more terrifying is the fact that unlike most films, we know how this one ends, so it brings with it real feelings of despair, anger and sorrow as everyone involved is unable to control the inevitable conclusion. It's an awesome yet ultimately, deeply disturbing film.

Exceptional (2008-02-22)

This has to be one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Touching from the first frame to the last and it seems very, very real. I don't want to pretend I know what it was like for the real people on the plane but I get the feeling this film takes us as close as is possible. I particularly like the fact that the director chose actors who were not stars to portray the characters as this I believe would have shifted the focus of the film.Also worthy of note has to be the actual DVD package. There are few extras but they are of great quality. The documentary about the making of the film is just as effective as the film itself. There are no technical details. Instead, it concentrates on the emotional journey of the real life friends and families of the victims of the crash along with the actors hired to play the characters in the film. Both the film and the documentary are extremely powerful and evoking productions.

United 93 (2008-01-12)

'United 93' is the powerful and moving look at the events on September 11th 2001. It focuses on the air traffic control centres that had to deal with the hijacked planes, the military response, as well as the events on flight United 93. I found this film moved very quickly and I was engrossed throughout. You get a real sense of the panic and confusion on that day and it goes some way to showing how difficult it must have been to deal with as it occurred. I was concerned this film would be pro American and biased, but it didn't seem to excessive in that respect and it gave the film all the more impact because of that. I found myself extremely choked up when the passengers on the flight were ringing relatives to say goodbye and couldn't even begin to imagine having to do something like that. The ending is full of drama and very powerful and although we have no way of truly knowing every event on that flight, this goes some way to portraying the fears and events that may have occurred. The film is excellently directed, the soundtrack works perfectly to move you and the acting is pretty good as well. Highly recommended indeed.

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