United 93
Just came back from watching United 93. When I first heard that they were making this movie, I immediately jumped to lots of conclusions: that it would be exploitative, sentimental, sensationalistic. That it would be a callow vehicle for scoring cheap political points. That it would be hastily thrown together and shoddily, disrespectfully made. I was wrong, on every count.
The movie treats the story of that flight the way it deserves to be treated: unflinchingly. It gives us the confusion of that day, the horror, the insanity, the tragedy, without a whiff of sensationalism or sentimentality. The characters aren’t puffed up with backstories; we aren’t prodded to shed any tears; aren’t guided toward any conclusions. And when the movie ended, in the way that it had to end, I sat dumbstruck, staring, feeling the tragedy of that day more viscerally than I had on the day itself.
I can’t recommend this movie highly enough.
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