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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

United 93

08:07 / 26.04.06

So, Paul Greengrass' dramatization of what happened on United flight 93 on 11th September 2001 has had its premier at the Tribeca film festival. one review of it is here...

that I've had mixed feelings about the prospects of this film is probably a bit of an understatement, and I'm a lot further removed from the events of that day than many. However, judging from the reviews, a very dangerous pursuit indeed, it seems like Greengrass' has managed to craft a film that has attracted equal praise and criticism from both sides of the political divide in the US. I have a sneaking suspicion that his aim all along was to make a film that would prevent any one point of view to claim the events of that day for their own...

But yes, the film is out now - so what do people make of it? Are you planning to see it or avoid it? Is it 'too soon'? And, perhaps more importantly, is it a good film?

12:36 / 26.04.06

There's a decent editorial/non-review over at Chud.com that describes Greengrass as being the proponent of "neo-factualism," in which all the details of the event are sifted through and the salient and interesting ones are put on the film, so that character and audience alike can believe what they see.

I have yet to decide if I'm going to see this. First of all, I expect it has one of those "God Bless America, Daddy" type endings in which the American flag waves beautifully in the wind and the innocent eyes are drawn upwards to it. I'm not anti-American, but I find endings such as that to be rather artificial.

Secondly, I'm removed as far away as a North American can get, and I don't mean physically. Even when it happened, I was more surprised than horrified. I didn't generate fear or paranoia as a result of 9/11. I simply didn't care. During 2001, I had just recently immersed myself in the historical details of the Rwandan genocide, and I was somewhat disrespectful of the US, the UN and anybody else other than Romeo Dallaire. So come 9/11, I had a bit of a "Well, they deserved it" attitude.

So this attitude persists in a small way in my head, because it's not like the US took a fucking hint and tried to be a better country as a result. No, they just got more intolerant as a country. Whatever. Enough soapboxing. So my "I don't really care" attitude makes me not really care about the flick.

On the other hand, I'm interested to see how Greengrass handles something this delicate. Will he go the Michael Bay route and have the "God Bless America, Daddy" ending (so named after Independence Day), or will he challenge the audience to question who the real villains are, what the big picture is, what does 9/11 teach us about ourselves? If the film is like that, sign me up.

12:56 / 26.04.06

>>>I expect it has one of those "God Bless America, Daddy" type endings in which the American flag waves beautifully in the wind and the innocent eyes are drawn upwards to it. <<<

I haven't seen it yet, but the several reviews I have read all suggest that it is not that type of film.

Thankfully.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:02 / 26.04.06

From Greengrass, I'd be surprised.

13:49 / 26.04.06

I thought Flight 93 landed at Cleveland Hopkins?

15:17 / 26.04.06

As ever, The Onion brings the funny.

15:44 / 26.04.06

Were this any other director I'd probably avoid this movie like a plague. But Greengrass's style is probably the single biggest reason why I doubt this will be a jingoist's wet dream. He's got a knack for doing his stories with intense, at-the-scene realism. Bloody Sunday and the Bourne Supremacy are two extremely solid pieces of film, because the guy puts you right there WITH the characters.

I'm continually repulsed by how much the Bush administration have thieved the dead of that day for their own twisted agenda. But it won't keep me from seeing this film.

I still wonder what his adaptation of Watchmen would've been like though.

18:47 / 26.04.06

My main qualm about the film is not a fear that it will be jingoistic (I'm one of those that expect it won't be), but that as the first major dramatic retelling of a 911 event (I'm not counting the TV movie on the same), it will have a special ability or power to create a lasting imprint of "what happened" on the collective American memory. I fear that there may be some blurring of fact and fiction as a result of the film (and films to follow), especially as time goes on. Probably this is completely unavoidable, but it places a heavy burden on this particular film to create the "right" imprint. I would like to see it, but I think I'll be waiting for the DVD release.

20:37 / 26.04.06

There's only one movie about planes to see this summer.

And this one ain't got no motherfucking snakes.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

17:59 / 27.04.06

Xeniu Jardin liked it, take that as you will

18:26 / 27.04.06

Rotten Tomatoes is giving is a 91%. Some of the reviews quoted say it's "raw" and it's best when it's "un-sensationalizes". I might actually see this.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:57 / 28.04.06

Reading in the Guardian today, apparently the movie takes the more plausible idea that the passengers hoped to save themselves by retaining control of the plane rather than nobly hastening their own deaths in order to save the White House, as I seem to remember has been posited by the administration. The latter would obviously be a warning sign of a more jingoistic film- the former shows more of a human survival response, as well as a possible lack of agenda-setting on Greengrass' part.

18:23 / 28.04.06

hoped to save themselves by retaining control of the plane rather than nobly hastening their own deaths in order to save the White House,
I saw a documentary on this mostly put together from cell calls during the flight, and it suggested that's exactly what was going on. They weren't trying to crash and burn before they hit the White House, they were trying to take control of the plane and land. Part of their plan had a former pilot at the ready if they were able to take back the cockpit.

16:44 / 30.04.06

Some (hopefully) small, (definitely) horrible part of me wanted a Shymalanian twist ending where the passengers retake the cockpit and find the pilots alive and well, only to spot a couple of F-16s heading straight at them.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

17:18 / 30.04.06

Dude, it's not a documentary, you know...

00:58 / 01.05.06

Marry me, Panic.