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United 93 (film)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 80.43.197.240 (talk) at 17:24, 17 July 2021 (Remove links to WTC as they go to the modern version of the tower; The book “Firestorm” looks at the film’s accuracy). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Not to be confused with Flight 93 (film).

United 93
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPaul Greengrass
Screenplay byPaul Greengrass
Based on9/11 Commission Report
by the 9/11 Commission
Produced byPaul Greengrass
Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Lloyd Levin
StarringChristian Clemenson
Cheyenne Jackson
David Alan Basche
Peter Hermann
Khalid Abdalla
CinematographyBarry Ackroyd
Edited byClare Douglas
Richard Pearson
Christopher Rouse
Music byJohn Powell
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
(United States)
United International Pictures (United Kingdom)
Mars Distribution (France)
Release date
  • April 28, 2006 (2006-04-28)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited States
United Kingdom
France
LanguagesEnglish
Arabic (diegetic)
Budget$15 million[2]
Box office$76.3 million[2]

United 93 is a 2006 docudrama thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass. The film chronicles the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93,[3] which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks of 2001, as well as the experience of air traffic control personnel as the attacks unfold.

The film attempts to recount the hijacking and subsequent events in the flight with as much veracity as possible (there is a disclaimer that some imagination had to be used) and in real time (from the flight's takeoff). The film was made with the cooperation of many of the passengers' families,[4] though not all agreed to participate.[5]

United 93 premiered on April 26, 2006, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, a festival founded to celebrate New York City as a major filmmaking center and to contribute towards the long-term recovery of Lower Manhattan.[6] Several family members of the passengers aboard the flight attended the premiere to show their support.

The film opened in North America on April 28, 2006, to critical acclaim. Ten percent of the gross income from the three-day opening weekend was promised toward a donation to create a memorial for the Flight 93 victims.[7] The total gross intake of United 93 was $31.4 million in the United States, and $76.3 million worldwide.[2][8] The film also received two Academy Award nominations, including Best Director for Greengrass.

Plot

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four al-Qaeda terrorists, Ziad Jarrah, Saeed al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Nami and Ahmed al-Haznawi, pray in their Newark, New Jersey hotel room, before driving to Newark International Airport to board United Airlines Flight 93, planning to hijack the plane as part of the attacks planned for the day. Among the passengers are Tom Burnett, Mark Bingham, Todd Beamer and Jeremy Glick. Before boarding, Jarrah makes a final phone call to his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, air traffic controllers monitoring all current flights determine that American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 from Boston's Logan International Airport is not responding and has taken a turn toward New York City. They hear a suspicious transmission. Meanwhile, after a slight delay due to heavy traffic, Flight 93, piloted by Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer LeRoy Homer, takes off. Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and United Airlines Flight 175, another Boeing 767, also from Boston, is also hijacked and begins to descend and turn toward New York City as well. Air traffic controllers then realize they are dealing with multiple hijackings when American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 is also hijacked. The air traffic controllers and Air Force watch as Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on live television, as reported by CNN.

Meanwhile, on Flight 93, the passengers are served their breakfast, while Jarrah fails to give the signal to start the hijacking. Via a message transmitted to the cockpit, Dahl and Homer are notified of the WTC attacks and to beware cockpit intrusion. Nami demands to know from Jarrah why they are not yet hijacking. Jarrah nervously insists the time is not right and orders him to go back to his seat. an impatient Haznawi prepares an artificial bomb in the lavatory and after returning to his seat, Ghamdi grabs flight purser Deborah Welsh at knife point. Passenger Mark Rothenberg is mortally wounded by Haznawi who shows the "bomb", causing mass panic among the passengers. Haznawi and Nami force the first-class passengers to the back of the plane while Ghamdi kills Homer and kills Dahl after the latter sends out a mayday call, then kills Welsh. Taking the plane's controls, Jarrah changes its course to D.C.. intending to crash it into the United States Capitol. Passenger Lauren Grandcolas tries to help the dying Rothenberg but Nami berates her. The hijackers see the message and jubilantly realise he World Trade Center attack was carried out successfully. While Flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles unsuccessfully trie to revive Rothenberg, the latter sees the bodies of the pilots and Welsh, and the passengers overhear this.

After Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, FAA National Operations Manager Ben Sliney decides to shut down all airspace in the United States and ground every flight. On Flight 93, passengers soon learn from family members via airphone of the attacks. Burnett decides to organize a revolt against the hijackers, to retake the plane, with the help of Bingham, Bradshaw and the other attendants, learning that Glick is a former judo champion, passenger Donald Greene has a license to pilot small planes and passenger Andrew Garcia is a former air traffic controller. Seeing the passengers gather, Haznawi and Nami anxiously realise they may not be able to keep the passengers under control for long. Jarrah and Ghamdi become agitated, as they are twenty minutes away from their target, and realise the passengers might thwart their plans. After agreeing to fight back, the male, able-bodied passengers go to the back of the plane with the stewardesses and arm themselves, while other passengers pray, and make final phone calls to their families. Passenger Christian Adams, attempting to counsel appeasement, is restrained and shushed by passengers.

After Beamer urges the passengers to take action, Glick leads the passengers and Richard Guadagno against a stunned Haznawi. [9] Haznawi is tackled and repeatedly beaten by Glick and Nacke, while Bingham crushes his skull with a fire extinguisher, killing him. Passenger Louis J. Nacke II snatches the bomb, revealing it to be a fake. William Joseph Cashman, and Patrick Joseph Driscoll join in. Nami, Ghamdi and Jarrah panic and Ghamdi’s offer of assistance to his comrades is refused by Jarrah who rocks the plane violently to throw the passengers off balance, and despite Nami’s efforts to keep them at bay, with the use of a serving cart, Mace and a fire extinguisher; the passengers push the cart back into him and a scared Nami is subdued and after gouging out his eyes, Glick snaps Nami's neck, killing him.[10] The passengers then batter the cockpit door with the cart and Jarrah and Ghamdi become terrified as they realize that their bid to reach the Capitol has failed, and despite Ghamdi's efforts to hold against the door with the use of a fire axe, the passengers breach the cockpit just as Jarrah puts the plane into a steep dive, and wrestle with the two remaining hijackers for control. Ghamdi tries to protect Jarrah but the passengers overpower him, as Burnett begins choking out Jarrah. [11] During the struggle, the aircraft inverts and crashes into a Shanksville field, killing everyone aboard.

Cast

Production

The film was the first Hollywood feature to draw its narrative directly from the September 11 attacks of 2001. Passengers were portrayed in the film mostly by professional but relatively unknown actors. (Tom Burnett, for instance, is played by Christian Clemenson, who has since appeared on Boston Legal and CSI: Miami). Additionally, several people portray themselves in the film, including Thomas Roberts, Ben Sliney, Tobin Miller, Rich Sullivan, Tony Smith, James Fox, Shawna Fox, Jeremy Powell, Curt Applegate, Greg Callahan, and Rick Tepper. Some participants in the real-life events played themselves, notably FAA operations manager Ben Sliney. The roles of one of the flight attendants, the two pilots, and many other airline personnel were filled by actual airline employees.[12]

During production, the actors playing the crew and the passengers of the flight were put in separate hotels from the actors portraying the hijackers, even eating their meals separately, ostensibly to create an air of antagonism in the film between the two groups. The set itself was built so that it moved the way the actual flight did. During the filming, many of the actors actually got hurt, and the blood visible on their faces during the revolt scene is authentic and not fake.[13]

The dialogue, which was mostly improvised during rehearsals Greengrass held with the cast, was based on face-to-face interviews between actors and the relatives of those they portrayed. Almost none of the passengers in the film are referred to by their names. Their identities remain anonymous, emphasizing the co-operation between the passengers rather than any individual heroics (as well as recognizing the fact that strangers on an airplane would not know each other's names).

Filming took place from October until December 2005, on a 20-year-old reclaimed Boeing 757 formerly operated by MyTravel Airways, at Pinewood Studios near London. The cockpit was built by Flightdeck Solutions.[14] The location was chosen both for its financial incentives and to shield actors from unwanted public scrutiny they might have received in the United States.[15] Action was filmed with handheld cameras, chosen for their versatility on the close-quarters sets and to create a sense of immediacy. Exterior airport sequences were shot on location at Newark Liberty International Airport, while interiors were shot back in England at London Stansted Airport. A few scenes were also shot in Washington, D.C. and Boston. Additionally, an opening sequence set in Afghanistan was shot in Morocco, but it was cut from the film before release.[16]

During the scene where Nami is killed by the passengers in the revolt, he is shown crying. Finishing the very first take, Jamie Harding (who played Nami) was overwhelmed that he was sobbing. In this scene, the sobbing Nami makes as Glick holds him around the head and throat and twists, breaking his neck, is authentic and not acted.[17]

The film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America for "language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence".[18] The film was released in the United States on April 28, 2006, and opened second in the weekend box office behind RV, but it netted a slightly higher per-screen average.[2]

Initial screenings ended with the closing credits line "America's War on Terror had begun". This was replaced in the release version with "Dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001".[19]

After trailers for the film began circulating in cinemas, there were calls for Universal Studios to pull them, due to the upset and surprise caused to some audience members.[20] Universal did not heed that call, although one theatre in Manhattan pulled the trailer after audience complaints.[7]

The Iraqi-born, London-based actor Lewis Alsamari, who plays Ghamdi, was reportedly denied a visa by United States immigration authorities when he applied to visit New York City to attend the premiere, despite having already been granted asylum in the United Kingdom since the 1990s. The reason reported to have been given was that he had once been a conscripted member of the Iraqi Army — although this was also the grounds for his refugee status after his desertion in 1993.[21] Other sources say that he applied late for his visa and that it was not denied.[22]

Historical accuracy

Main article: United Airlines Flight 93
Of the four aircraft hijacked on September 11, United Airlines Flight 93 was the only aircraft that did not reach its hijackers' intended target.

The timing of the events is changed for dramatic effect, with Jarrah making his phone call to his girlfriend from the airport, whereas he made it from his hotel room, and Flight 11’s transmission being determined before it crashed into the WTC; in reality, it happened after.[23]

It is unknown why the hijackers waited 46 minutes after takeoff to start the hijacking; Jarrah is portrayed as hesitant in the film, much to the concerns of his fellow hijackers. The hijackers' target isn't certain either, but it's most commonly assumed to be either the United States Capitol (as depicted in the film) or the White House in Washington, D.C.[24]

The cockpit voice recorder tape from United Flight 93 has never been made public; however, a transcript was made public after the film was completed, shedding more light on what actually happened in the final 30 minutes before the plane crashed. Some parts contradict the filmmakers' choices in terms of some dialogue and specific aspects of the event. For example, the pilots, Jason Dahl and LeRoy Homer Jr., are shown in the film being killed by the terrorists immediately during the hijacking. Though Dahl is shown sending out the mayday call, Melody Homer identified her husband as the man who was shouting.[25][26][27] Due to the then forthcoming Zacarias Moussaoui trial, Jason Dahl's wife Sandy Dahl was unable to tell the film's director, Paul Greengrass, what really happened regarding her husband.[28][29] Some statements made by the terrorists in the cockpit voice recorder transcript,[30] as well as moans heard in the background inside the cockpit,[31] raised doubts that both pilots were dead before the plane crashed; however, other documentary evidence from the 9/11 Commission Report indicates that at least one passenger reported in a cell phone call seeing two bodies, possibly the pilots, lying dead on the floor outside the cockpit after the hijacking.[32] Melody Homer criticised the film of not focusing on the flight crew’s actions.[33]

There is some controversy between some of the family members of the passengers and the investigative officials as to whether the passengers managed to breach the cockpit before the plane crashed. The 9/11 Commission Report concluded that "the hijackers remained at the controls but must have judged that the passengers were only seconds from overcoming them". However, many of the passengers' family members, having heard the audio recordings, believe that the passengers did breach the cockpit[34] and struggled with the hijackers for control of the yoke.[35][36]

Portrayal of Christian Adams

The film has been criticized for its portrayal of German passenger Christian Adams, who is portrayed as counseling appeasement, to the point the passengers restrain him when he tries to warn the hijackers, despite the absence of any evidence that he did so. It was also reported that Adams's widow did not cooperate with the filmmakers saying that the memory of her husband's death was still too raw.[5] Sunday Times critic Cosmo Landesman mused, "Surely one of the passengers didn't phone home to point out that there was a cowardly German on board who wanted to give in?"[37] Critic John Harris suggested in a Guardian blog, "there will surely be all kinds of cries about old European surrender monkeys, the United States' contrasting backbone etc."[38][39] Erich Redman, who portrayed Adams in the film, has stated he did not intend to portray Adams as cowardly but as a man who "never made rash decisions and everything he did was always well-considered".[39]

Reception

Critical response

United 93 was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2006. James Berardinelli, Roger Ebert, Michael Medved, and Peter Travers all awarded it full marks on their rating scales, with Ebert calling the film "masterful and heartbreaking" and saying that it "does honor to the memory of the victims".[40] Travers termed it "one of the most moving films of the year", in Rolling Stone. The film holds a 90% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 212 reviews, and an average rating of 8.23/10, with the consensus: "Potent and sobering, United 93 treats the subject matter with respect, never resorting to Hollywood aggrandizement."[41]

The film has a score of 90 on Metacritic,[42] where it appears on 39 critics' top 10 lists, more than any other 2006 film on the site,[43] (although the 2006 film with the highest average score on the site is the re-released 1969 film Army of Shadows).[44][45] The film was ranked #1 on 47 lists (the most of any 2006 film).[46]

At the website Movie City News, which ranks 250 critics' lists and awards points for list-placement, United 93 ranks as the number one film of 2006[47][48][49] with a score of 917.5 points.

The film has been cited as a favorite by filmmaker John Waters, who presented it as his annual selection within the 2010 Maryland Film Festival.

Top 10 lists

Only two films (The Departed and The Queen) appeared on more top 10 lists of the best films of 2006 than United 93, and no film received more #1 mentions:[43]

Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal and Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer named it among the top ten best films of 2006.[43]

Accolades

United 93 received numerous awards and nominations from film critics and guilds. Ultimately, the film received two Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, at the 79th Academy Awards, and six BAFTA Award nominations, including Best British Film, at the 60th British Academy Film Awards, winning two for Best Director and Best Film Editing.

Home media

United 93 was released to DVD on September 5, 2006, in both widescreen and fullscreen. Also released was a 2-disc Special Limited Edition in widescreen. A Blu-ray Disc version was released on September 6, 2011.[52] A second Blu-ray release from Universal Studios for the film was released on June 5, 2012, as a part of Universal's Universal 100th Anniversary releases. This version included the same Blu-ray Disc (same transfer and same bonus features) found in the first 2011 release in addition to a DVD and digital copy included in the pack with a brand-new sleeve that was not available with the previous release.[53] Both Blu-ray Disc sets for the film are region free.

See also

References

  1. ^ "UNITED 93 (15)". United International Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. May 11, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "United 93 (2006)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. July 6, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  3. ^ Barra, Allen. "Historical Film: It's Time to See a Movie We Couldn't Bear to Go To"[permanent dead link‍]. American Heritage, November/December 2006.
  4. ^ Heath, Iver (January 1, 2006). "Four Years On, a Cabin's-Eye View of 9/11". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b Brooks, Xan (June 7, 2006). "United 93 'surrender monkey' defends role in film". The Guardian.
  6. ^ (March 29, 2006). "September 11 plane drama to open NY film festival"[permanent dead link‍]. Reuters article.
  7. ^ a b (April 10, 20??). "A Dark Day Revisited". Newsweek.
  8. ^ Boorstin, Julia (January 8, 2006). "MSNBC". NBC News. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  9. ^ Ahmed al-Haznawi: [waving the dummy detonator in a frantic effort as the passengers charge him] No! No! No! No!
  10. ^ Saeed Al Ghamdi: They're beating Haznawi! Let me go and help him! / Ziad Jarrah: No! Hold onto something, I’m gonna lower the aircraft!
  11. ^ Ziad Jarrah: Let go! Give it to me! / Saeed Al Ghamdi: No! I can't pull! I can't!
  12. ^ http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1181589,00.html
  13. ^ Nancy Grace (April 28, 2006). "Families of 9/11 Victims Praise 'United 93'". transcripts.cnn.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 21, 2006. Retrieved May 21, 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ Burkeman, Oliver (April 28, 2006). "The Day They Hijacked America". The Guardian.
  16. ^ "Director's commentary". United 93 (Blu-ray ed.).
  17. ^ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/united-93-jwvbf7gx9xl
  18. ^ "MPAA Film Ratings". MPAA.org. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  19. ^ Lim, Dennis (April 18, 2006). "A Flight to Remember" Archived April 26, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. The Village Voice.
  20. ^ Waxman, Sharon (April 4, 2006). "Universal Will Not Pull United 93 Trailer, Despite Criticism". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  21. ^ (April 21, 2006). "9/11 film actor refused visa for US premiere". The Times.
  22. ^ Judd, Terri (April 22, 2006). "America bars Iraqi immigrant who played hijacker in September 11 film". The Independent on Sunday.
  23. ^ Prince, Stephen (2009). Firestorm: American Film in the Age of Terrorism. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231520089.page 110
  24. ^ CNN.com - Flight 93 hijacker: "Shall we finish it off?"
  25. ^ "'I'm thinking about it all the time,' says Canadian wife of Flight 93 pilot". The Star. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  26. ^ "United Flight 93 co-pilot's wife says crew wasn't passive". Skift. February 24, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  27. ^ Mitchell, John N. "Wife remembers pilot, who died in Flight 93". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  28. ^ "United pilot's widow defends crew's role in 9/11 / Former flight attendant has been waiting 4 1/2 years to tell of Flight 93's final minutes". Sfgate.com. April 13, 2006. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  29. ^ Gonzales, Manny (May 8, 2016). "Flight 93 tape: Horror, heroics". The Denver Post.
  30. ^ United Flight 93 Cockpit Voice Recorder Transcript Archived September 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. "Some point to the comment made at 9:45:25 to indicate doubt that both pilots were dead." Retrieved December 10, 2006.
  31. ^ United Flight 93 Cockpit Voice Recorder Transcript Archived September 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. "There are several unattributed groans recorded at 9:58, before the passenger assault on the cockpit apparently began." Retrieved December 10, 2006.
  32. ^ The 9/11 Commission Report Archived December 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, page 13, paragraph 2. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
  33. ^ Vulliamy, Ed (May 27, 2006). "For ONE moment it was possible to dream that the ending would be different' ...'". The Guardian.
  34. ^ "Families of Passengers Question Theory That Hijackers Crashed Flight 93". Foxnews.com. Associated Press. August 8, 2003. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  35. ^ Emanuel, Mike; Liza Porteus (April 13, 2006). "Flight 93 Hijacker: 'We Have a Bomb on Board'". Fox News. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  36. ^ "Wives of Passengers on Flight 93". ABC News. September 18, 2001. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  37. ^ "A terrifying flight back in time" June 04, 2006 The Times
  38. ^ Skating on thin air May 25, 2006 http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk, accessed June 11, 2006
  39. ^ a b "United 93 actor defends portrayal". BBC.co.uk.
  40. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 27, 2006). "United 93 Review". Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert Digital, LLC. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  41. ^ "United 93 (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  42. ^ https://www.metacritic.com/movie/united-93
  43. ^ a b c "2006 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  44. ^ "Best Reviewed Film of 2006". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  45. ^ http://www.avmaroc.com/videos/united+airlines-cLiPUfHP1_DIie0.html[permanent dead link‍]
  46. ^ "Best of 2006: CriticsTop10". CriticsTop10.com. December 29, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  47. ^ "The 2006 Top Tens". Movie City News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  48. ^ "2006 Overall Critics Choice Results Discussion". The Hot Button. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  49. ^ "The 2006 Top Tens". Movie City News. January 6, 2007. Archived from the original on January 27, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  50. ^ "United 93 Awards and Nominations". IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  51. ^ "The Awards Scoreboard". Movie City News. Archived from the original on January 22, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  52. ^ "United 93 Blu-ray Announced and Detailed". High-Def Digest. Internet Brands, Inc. May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  53. ^ "United 93 Universal 100th Anniversary edition". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved October 11, 2014.

Further reading

  • Greengrass, Paul (2006). United 93: The Shooting Script. Newmarket Shooting Script. New York: Newmarket Press. ISBN 978-1557047526.
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