United 93--Review

I had to go by myself to see the movie, the wife just knew she wouldn't be able to watch, and my boy had already made plans to see it with some of his friends.

In one way this was good. When I left the theatre, I wasn't in much of a mood to talk about the film. In the truck coming home, I couldn't even listen to the radio, it just seemed jarringly intrusive with the thoughts going through my head.

When I called my wife to let her know I was on my way home, she asked if I liked the movie? For about 5 seconds, I was silent. What words could you use to explain the feelings that were jolting through you after watching the horror of that day unfold before you, watching what the passengers on this flight must have felt going through this nightmare. The only answer I could give was that it really wasn't about liking the movie, it was the act of remembering that day that so many seem to want to forget, even deny.

What I did like was that there were no major stars. If Bruce Willis had been in this, the focus would have been on how he reacted and lead the passengers. By going with unknowns, the focus stayed on the fact that this was just a group of everyday people that were caught up in this situation, not by their choice, but reacted to it in the best way they could. They knew the plane was going to be used as a weapon and kill them and G-d knows how many others if they did nothing. They decided they would prevent the plane from being used to kill others, even if it meant they would die trying. That makes them heroes.

The only political slant that I noticed in the film, was that the only person to council doing nothing was the passenger that had a slight European accent (German?). I wrote that off, having never heard that anyone on the calls made from the plane stating that some Euroweenie was telling them to just do what the terrorists said.

It is a hard movie to watch. From the time the door to the plane closes, you know the fate of the people inside. You know there won't be any miracle or unreal movie hero to change the outcome. You do know that through the actions of these common people and the sacrifice they were willing to make that perhaps hundreds of other lives were saved.

The movie isn't glorious or rah-rah America. It is solely a depiction of what the War on Terror is about.