United 93 (2006)

	Directed by: Paul Greengrass	COUNTRY France/UK/USA GENRE Drama/Historical NORWEGIAN TITLE United 93 RUNNING TIME 111 minutes
	Produced by: Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Lloyd Levin
	Written by: Paul Greengrass

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Thomas Burnett	Christian Clemenson
Sandra Bradshaw	Trish Gates	½
Todd Beamer	David Alan Basche	½
Mark Bingham	Cheyenne Jackson
Captain Dahl	J. J. Johnson
Deborah Welsh	Polly Adams
Ziad Jarrah	Khalid Abdalla	½
Saeed Al Ghamdi	Lewis Alsamari	½
Ahmed Al Haznawi	Omar Berdounni
Ahmed Al Nami	Jamie Harding

Review

Comprehensive and harrowing rendition of the events in the fourth plane of 9/11, directed skilfully in real-time by Englishman Paul Greengrass (who also wrote the script). The film is naturally talky, bringing in a string of characters, not all of whom Greengrass can bring to life equally vividly. United 93 also lingers a bit too long on the tactics and technicalities in flight control rooms, ostensibly in order to keep with its real-time format. That doesn't mean the film ceases to engage: Greengrass' thoroughness and level-headed approach make the film thought-provoking not only as a document of the most infamous terrorist attack in the modern era, but also when viewed from a wider perspective, perhaps with more objective eyes than what are possible for those who experienced 9/11 up close. Compared to its twin, the TV movie Flight 93, Greengrass' work is thematically broader, though it doesn't get under the skin of the passengers on the plane in the same way. That being said, if you have seen one of them, you don't need to watch the other, as the similarities are inevitably striking. Of the two, my pick would be the less acknowledged Flight 93. It gives you a stronger feel of how it was up there during those tormenting minutes.