United 93 (2006)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Melvin W

  
  Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.: We have to do something, they are not going to land this plane. "United they stood." United 93 tells the story of the one plane that doesn't reach the terrorists planned destination. It tells in extraordinary detail the events of the day from… More
  Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.: We have to do something, they are not going to land this plane. "United they stood." United 93 tells the story of the one plane that doesn't reach the terrorists planned destination. It tells in extraordinary detail the events of the day from the ground and from the United 93 airplane. This movie is a sobering and terrifying film that looks real and makes you almost feel like you are in the plane too. This story isn't an easy one to tell. Any minor detail could seem like exploitation if used in the wrong way, but this was done in such a fashion where you can tell Greengrass wasn't just using the events of that day, but telling a story about real life heroes. When the terrorists took the plane over, the passengers gathered near the back of the plane and came up with a plan to try to retake the plane. They knew the pilots didn't have control of the plane and they also knew that planes had been hitting the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. So they acted in such a way that saved the lives of who knows how many people. This isn't the easiest movie to get through. A lot of it is watched in a quiet trance, as you wish the story could end differently, but you know it won't. The starless cast makes this movie feel like real life. We aren't watching Russel Crowe or Brad Pitt in the plane trying to retake it. We are watching strangers and it goes a long way in making the film feel much more real. United 93 mauy end up going down as the best movie ever made on 9/11. There's going to be many more made I'm sure, but this one just grabs the viewer and makes them relive the dread of that day through the people that had to endure that, and I'm not sure if another film about that day will ever be able to accomplish that as well as United 93.

• paul o

  
  Strong and powerful, the film pays a strong tribute to those on 9/11.

• Eric A

  
  Sad, sad, sad, and sad because these events really happened on one of the most terrifying days in American history. I love films that grab a hold of your mind and make you forget that you are watching a film, making you feel as if you are really there. United 93 does that with unknown… More
  Sad, sad, sad, and sad because these events really happened on one of the most terrifying days in American history. I love films that grab a hold of your mind and make you forget that you are watching a film, making you feel as if you are really there. United 93 does that with unknown actors and a small setting (a plane). A truly remarkable film and is a must see.

• Chris W

  
  Though I had wanted to see this, it was certainly not a film I was really looking forward to watching like I would with most other films on my watch list. I had heard all about this movie, and was compelled from the very beginning. It just took me a while to get around to it because I… More
  Though I had wanted to see this, it was certainly not a film I was really looking forward to watching like I would with most other films on my watch list. I had heard all about this movie, and was compelled from the very beginning. It just took me a while to get around to it because I knew I'd have to be in the right kind of mood. Told in real time and utilizing a combination of cinema verite, subtle special effects, news footage, and unparalled amounts of detailed research, this is a history based docudrama about the events of September 11, 2001, specifically the events surrounding the hijaking of United Airlines Flight 93- the only airplane that did not make it to the planned attack location. The film follows not only the passengers, crew, and terrorists on the plane, but also the various groups of people on the ground at air traffic control stations, and various other related facilities. The film is structred and executed in an intimate documentary style with the audience feeling as if they are right in the middle of the action. The recreation of events is feverishly faithful and respectful, though some liberties of specifically how some events took place (mostly the ones on the plane) had to be left to the imagination. Even then, the film is a gripping and unrelenting look at the choas and confusion that took place that day, as well as the strength and heroism of the plane pasengers who uinted as a group to foil the hijackers and save even more lives from being taken, even at the cost of their own. This can be a very hard film to watch at times, and it was purposely desigend to elicit a reaction or emotion out of the audience. There is no correct way to react to this film. It is just a recreation of the events and just shows them in a very realistic and unsettling manner. Some valid nit picks I do have though are that, given the film being an exercise in emmersing the audience in emotional distress and hooror, it is legitimate to question this film's existence given that no real catharsis is given. I will say that the fact that the film doesn't ty to give answers or commentary, isn't propaganda, and is very much apolitical makes it a stronger and much more of an experience than a piece of entertainment. It is an important film, even if it is a dramatization, because even speculation can be useful as a historical document. The direction is extremely sharp and focused, the performances are very nuanced and tasteful, and the music is veery emotional and swelling. What is absolutely brilliant with this film though are the cinematography and tight, handheld camera work, and the impressive editing. Three editors were employed to cut and compile all of the footage together, trying to makle sure it stayed as true to reality as possible, which is made even more difficult given how the film jumps from location to location quite frequently in order to show all the events happening at the various places in real time in sequential order. It's a real shame those editors and the film itself was not acknowledged at the Oscars, because there is some truly superior work on display. As I mentioned above, there is no correct way to react to this movie, but it is impossible to not have a reaction of some sort. You'd really have to have some serious issues to experience this and not feel something. Though this film is a very harrowing and stirring piece of work, it would be just as strong and powerful if it were entirely fictional and had no connection to real events whatsoever. That is how excellent it is.

• Candy R

  
  This is a true story about the fourth plane that was hijacked on 9/11 bound for Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Passengers use their mobile phones to contact relatives. They realise that the World Trade Center has been hit and with great courage attack the hijackers, bringing down the… More
  This is a true story about the fourth plane that was hijacked on 9/11 bound for Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Passengers use their mobile phones to contact relatives. They realise that the World Trade Center has been hit and with great courage attack the hijackers, bringing down the plane. No one survived the crash but they probably saved many lives by not letting it reach its destination.

• Bethany M

  
  Outstanding and such a brave yet heartbreaking story! They are all heroes!

• Bently L

  
  I can't stop thinking about the man who was killed yesterday. You know who I'm talikg 'bout, right? He was one of the main men behind 9/11, an event that will never be forgotten by us Americans. Yesterday will probably go down in history. Paul Greengrass, director of… More
  I can't stop thinking about the man who was killed yesterday. You know who I'm talikg 'bout, right? He was one of the main men behind 9/11, an event that will never be forgotten by us Americans. Yesterday will probably go down in history. Paul Greengrass, director of the last two Bourne movies, made a very good movie about the events that occured on that tragic day. Here is a film that was so emotional. Even the opening credits were emotional. We see one of the men aboard Flight 93 and discover that he was a family man. My heart literally stopped beating at this very scene. "United 93" is an film that everyone knows how it ends. If you say, "I didn't like this movie because it was so predictable!", go jump off a cliff! The film is character-driven and we get a glimpse of almost everyone on the plane's backgrounds. The entire film was intense. The credits even leave you speechless. The dialogue was intense, the shooting technique was intense, "United 93" is an intense film, period. The film features a talented no-name cast that we become very attatched to. We weep with them, we yell with them, we're with them the entire way. The film was edited and shot excellently and may just be one of the most powerful films you will ever see! Before we all go nuts on Friday to see "Thor", I suggest we take some time to remember those who were lost in this event by giving "United 93" a watch. You really should. "Sit and I will go you the sign."

• Brad W

  
  A chilling and haunting film, a true dedication to those who died on 9/11. David Greenglass has made a masterpiece. I loved this movie, it had no famous actors just people with talent, a intense and dramatic plot, and realistic scenes of what was close to happening on United 93.

• Steven C

  
  Paul Greengrass' "United 93" is a curious film. There will never be anything quite like it, ever again. On it's surface, "United 93" is the prime example of fictional Cinema Verite filmmaking. Underneath, "United 93" is an important reenactment… More
  Paul Greengrass' "United 93" is a curious film. There will never be anything quite like it, ever again. On it's surface, "United 93" is the prime example of fictional Cinema Verite filmmaking. Underneath, "United 93" is an important reenactment of what happened during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Greengrass deftly balances facts, with emotion, chaos with real heroism. The real star of this film, though, is cinematographer Barry Akroyd who transports you to this very urgent time and place. "United 93" is an extraordinary and unforgettable motion picture.

• xGary X

  
  United 93 is a thankfully unsentimental recreation of what happened on the only hijacked passenger airliner that did not reach its target on the day that changed the world. Paul "Bourne" Greengrass brings a very documentary like approach to the story, making it feel very… More
  United 93 is a thankfully unsentimental recreation of what happened on the only hijacked passenger airliner that did not reach its target on the day that changed the world. Paul "Bourne" Greengrass brings a very documentary like approach to the story, making it feel very much like a reconstruction rather than a drama. It has exactly the same mix of the everyday and the utterly surreal that that fateful day had for me, and the footage of the World Trade Centre gave me the same hollow, empty and slightly nauseous feeling I had at the time. There are no Hollywood style "heroes" or irrelevant soap opera bullshit concerning the passengers; it merely provides an accurate (as far as the known facts fit) depiction of what happened on the plane as the passengers realized what was happening and stepped up to do something about it. The extreme sense of realism is helped by the minimalist score and lack of famous faces, although I have to say that even the sight of David Rasche (hardly a big name celebrity) did dispell the illusion somewhat for me. You do spend a little too much of the first hour looking at people looking at computer screens, but the final twenty minutes show the terror and desperation of the situation in a totally believeable way and is very intense and emotionally affecting. This is no doubt added to by the fact that throughout these scenes there was an image in my head I couldn't shake; it was the footage I saw in Fahrenheit 9/11 of George W. sitting in a primary school classroom with his thumb up his ass while all of this was happening.

• Albert K

  
  strikingly realistic. intense

• Jeff "

  
  Never in my life has a film made such an emotional impression on me as did United 93. Recalling that faithful day of September 11, 2001; where a team of 19 highjackers highjacked four plans, and carried out the most deadly terrorist attack on U.S soil. These attacks were deemed the… More
  Never in my life has a film made such an emotional impression on me as did United 93. Recalling that faithful day of September 11, 2001; where a team of 19 highjackers highjacked four plans, and carried out the most deadly terrorist attack on U.S soil. These attacks were deemed the worst since Pearl Harbor. This film recalls the flight of United Airlines Flight 93. What follows is an uprising of passengers who valiantly try to retake the plane from those crazed fanatics. Greengrass's film is one of the hardest, most difficult films that I have ever watched. This for me, is the type of film that you only watch once, and you don't need to watch it again. The film is very disturbing because it's very real, and it happened so recently. I saw this film back in 2006, when it was released. I knew right from the start that I was in for something disturbing. Also United 93 shows the courage of common people who faced impossible odds of survival. But despite their failed attempt, their courage probably saved more lives. United 93 is a very emotional film to watch, and I can guarantee you that you may cry watching this. This film is gripping and powerful. A film that is brilliantly filmed, acted and executed; I strongly believe that this is a respectful film that honors the victims of this terrible tragedy in a senseless act of violence. I highly recommend this film. United 93 is a definite must see and this film will definitely stay with you for a long time after you've seen it. A very powerful, gripping and poignant film, United 93 is a film that shows courage in the face of danger.

• Anthony L

  
  Greengrass manages to capture the horror, without showing anything horrific, in this intense portrayal of what happened on that terrible day. Although I do not believe for one second that what happens in this film happened in real life, I have the upmost respect and admiration for… More
  Greengrass manages to capture the horror, without showing anything horrific, in this intense portrayal of what happened on that terrible day. Although I do not believe for one second that what happens in this film happened in real life, I have the upmost respect and admiration for this film. The documentary style of filming has rarely been better than this.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Incredibly gripping, upsetting and visceraly intense cinéma vérité.

• E.J. B

  
  Greengrass has a talent for making you feel like you are right there in the chaos. His style suits the subject matter.

• Chris G

  
  Every generation has a day that everyone remembers where they were when the event took place. For my grand parents it was Pearl harbor. For my parents it was the Kennedy assassination. For us it was 9/11. It's events like these that scar themselves into the psyche and you're… More
  Every generation has a day that everyone remembers where they were when the event took place. For my grand parents it was Pearl harbor. For my parents it was the Kennedy assassination. For us it was 9/11. It's events like these that scar themselves into the psyche and you're able to remember the color of the carpet and the walls and which anchor broke the news that something had happened. You may not remember dinner last week but you remember that day like it just happened. United 93 takes us back to that day, but it's a very tight view of the attacks. Of course you see the last few hours of the passengers of United flight 93 as they board, take off, and all hell breaks loose. The film also shows what was happening on the ground as planes began to change course and disappear right before their eyes. Yes, the film shows you the towers, but it's in the context that these people saw it- out of an observation tower our on a video feed. It's a tightly knit film that could have easily become a grandiose effort, ala Irvin Allen. The cast of mostly unknowns and people who were actually in those positions on 9/11 leave you in the movie in a way that having a big name star would pull you right out. These are strangers. They're strangers to each other. The passengers aren't played as ultimate heroes, they're played as people in a panic that just feel that they have to do something. There's no heroic speech, just a discussion of what to do and how to do it. It's not very common for a docudrama to take you back to the event it's depicting. Usually they fall flat on their face and end up filling in the gaps with mindless fluff that weakens the story. United 93 fills the gaps, but doesn't give you any fluff to chew on. It's fascinating to watch as the system fails and these passengers come to grips with what's unfolding around them. A great rendition of a tragic day.

• Emily A

  
  This is a really intense movie. It's hard to watch any film so utterly devoid of humour, but this film never set out to "amuse" anyone. Instead it delivers the gritty true story starring really talented actors who all look like real people. In fact, some of the people… More
  This is a really intense movie. It's hard to watch any film so utterly devoid of humour, but this film never set out to "amuse" anyone. Instead it delivers the gritty true story starring really talented actors who all look like real people. In fact, some of the people on the job during the incident reprise thier own roles in the film, including Ben Sliney, the man who called down all the planes.

• Lorenzo v

  
  Such a powerful film. Director Paul Greengrass recreates the events that happened in the tragic day of 9/11 and he got it spot on. It is so accurate sometimes I'm having a feeling that I'm watching a documentary. Everything in it looked so real, from the air tower… More
  Such a powerful film. Director Paul Greengrass recreates the events that happened in the tragic day of 9/11 and he got it spot on. It is so accurate sometimes I'm having a feeling that I'm watching a documentary. Everything in it looked so real, from the air tower controllers to the shaky cam approach, all these techniques were used by Paul Greengrass to his advantage. The actors did quite well also. I heard somewhere that before production started, Paul Greengrass separated the protagonists from the antagonists, from the hotel rooms to the acting workshops, he isolated one from another to get that strange feeling from the actors. To be honest, it worked quite well. The result is outstanding. The ending will leave you speechless. The struggle that happened is just too hard to take as a whole. You need to take it one at a time but the director shoved it right down our throats, we didn't even have time to talk nor breathe. It just happened and then fade to black. No questions asked. The film's ending will go down as one of my favorite and this film will go down as one of 2006's best film. A must-see.

• Jens S

  
  The events of 9/11 through the eyes of the people of flight United 93 and the tower personnel and military, presented in an almost documentary style. The decision to use no big stars and very few familiar faces and basing the dialoges on the real radio and cell phone transmissions… More
  The events of 9/11 through the eyes of the people of flight United 93 and the tower personnel and military, presented in an almost documentary style. The decision to use no big stars and very few familiar faces and basing the dialoges on the real radio and cell phone transmissions from that day makes for a very realistic feeling. The result is hard to stomach. Can you use the terms exciting and nerve-wrecking for something that really happened and didn't end well? Either way, the movie sticks to the facts and what is most likely to have happened on board, creating an inescapable spiral of tragic events, that is hard to watch without being moved to tears, remembering that day. Probably an important and very well made movie, but one you're only gonna watch once. It somehow feels like watching a coffin close.

• Mark H

  
  Almost documentary-like in it's retelling of the events of September 11th. Feels even more authentic because the cast is made up of mostly unknown actors.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings