We Saw “United 93” Last Night
I’m probably still not in any shape to speak coherently about it, but I want to completely encourage any of you who might be unsure to go see it, for a few reasons.
First, it is simply a spectacular movie, one that keeps you completely tied up in knots with the realistic portrayal of the tension and drama. Oh sure, you know how the story ends, but my God: you know how the story ends. The script and acting are both superb and completely realistic; you know that that is exactly how the people may have acted and progressed in their thoughts as that day unfolded. And there’s no swelling music or other such stupid-assed ‘audience cue cards’ (like “dramatic close up on beautiful blonde in seat 23d”) as it develops, either; the score is so non-existant and thereby completely effective that I can’t even recall hearing it, and the actors all look like regular people, you and me, which drives home the point that it could have been any one of us* on that flight, and enhances the glory of what they did.
The second reason I want to encourage you to go see the movie is that I want to reward them for making it. The folks who wrote iit and made it deserve our support for this movie, to encourage Hollywood to make more ovies like this. Let’s face it, money talks, and no matter how much we complain about the piles of crap they put out we vote with the ticket sales.
*Obviously, working in Lower Manhattan I have a lot of emotional memories about September 11th, but I also have a United 93 story: Another close business associate of mine from Brazil was also in town that week, and he was in our office on the 10th and went out to dinner with some of my colleagues that night. The next morning he went to Newark to catch the flight he was booked on to san Francisco: United 93. Except he, much like how I am, got to the airport very early, and United bumped him up to the earlier flight. When the FAA grounded all the flights his was put down in Milwaukee, and he spent four very drunken days there. When he got back to Brazil finally (a week or so later) his company gave him a birthday party, because they told him he’d been born again.
It could have been and it could still be any of us. Will we answer the call and honor their memory?
Media | Mr. Bingley | 
May 20, 2006 11:05 am
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It was fantastic. I, too, was very happy with the treatment. Wish more movies were made this way.
Re: Your collegue — If I wasn’t already wired to arrive early for things, this story would have me never arriving late, or simply “on time” for anything ever again.
“It could have been and it could still be any of us. Will we answer the call and honor their memory?”
I hope so.
An excellent movie, indeed. I recommend that people do see this, regardless of how they view the Global War on Terrorism.