United 93 traces events that are still very close to me and my family. It is all too real reenactment of those tragic events on that day 14 years ago.
The majority of the action takes place aboard United flight 93, when it lifts off in Boston until it crashes in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In spite of its confining space, the film remains one of the most distressing and yet uplifting films you could ever watch.
The second major location in the film is that the FAA National Air Traffic Control Center in Herndon, Virginia. Here, we see the sheer desperation of newly elected FAA National Operations Manager Ben Sliney and his people as they watch the disaster unfold in front of their eyes. They are helpless to do anything. Their attempts to get Air Force jets into the air for protection are futile, as the bureaucratic red tape slows everything down.
The one saving grace in all this confusion and inaction is a short duration of the attacks themselves. We were indeed fortunate indeed that only four planes were hijacked that day. Just a few more planes hitting a few other targets would’ve truly crippled this country for weeks on end.
Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001?
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On a personal note, my wife worked for United Airlines at Newark Airport at the time. As she prepared to go to work that morning, we both watched in horror as the first plane had hit the World Trade Center.
She received a call from her supervisor. He told her she was free to come into work or not, but if she chose to go to work, there was no telling how many days she would be there as the security situation was straightened out.
She decided to go in to be about as much help as possible. I have never been so frightened and nervous in my entire life, before or since. I will NEVER forget that day.
To this day, my wife cannot bring yourself to watch this movie or any other films or documentaries about September 11, 2001.
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Much praise must go to Paul Greengrass, the film’s director, for creating one of the most suspenseful and nail-biting films of all time. I watch it every year on the anniversary of the attacks since the film was released in 2006. It is still difficult to watch, but I feel it’s part of my obligation to honor the 2753 people were killed on that day.
This is a harrowing, scary, tearful flight into the most troubling situation a person could ever find themselves in. The last 20 min. of the film will have you holding your breath. Too real to be fictional, you can’t keep your eyes off the screen for even a second. You know how it ends, yet you must keep watching.
Each time I watch, I keep hoping that the passengers will be able to get control the plane and save it. But every time, I failed to wake up from. It’s far too real nightmare.
By all means, if you have not watched United 93 by now, I urge you to watch it as soon as possible. There are other films about 9/11, and they are all well worth watching, including two or three others about Flight 93 itself. But United 93 hold a special place in my heart.
United 93 the film has renewed my faith in the Human Spirit. In the face of certain death, the passengers rose up in a final act of heroism and self-sacrifice in the hopes of saving themselves. No greater act any human being ever hope to accomplish. This review is dedicated to the crew and passengers of United Airlines Flight 93.
Here is a link for the DVD of the movie United 93.
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To Your Future,
Tom, the High Traffic Wizard
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