DEDICATED TO MY FELLOW BROTHER
OF ALPHA KAPPA PSI
WHO WAS ON FLIGHT 93:
THOMAS E. BURNETT, JR.
United 93 is a solemn reminder of what happened on September 11, 2001. It was a day like any other, until four planes were hijacked by the al Qaeda terrorists. Three of the planes hit their targets. The fourth did not, and this is the focus of the story. Directed by Paul Greengrass, the movie is not outlandish, but rather very simple and powerful. No embellishments, no grand statements of intent. It merely shows the actions and the consequences of the hijackers, the FAA, the military controllers, and the passengers on Flight 93 who fought to take back the plane from the savage murderers. Some of the FAA and military operations centers’ personnel actually played themselves.
Much to the chagrin of its detractors, this motion picture was not done to make money, as told by David Alan Basche, who played Todd Beamer:
“I and other cast members, too, had some misgivings. We were concerned about melodrama and exploitation. But our director, Paul Greengrass, is fiercely intelligent and brilliant and an expert on violence and terrorism. He was more interested in authenticity and truth. He went to all the families and they all gave their approval.”
The audience reaction throughout the movie was silence intermixed with tears, because we all saw that those passengers who boarded the plane didn’t know they were going to die, and as the film progressed, that realization set in; this was indeed the most difficult part for me to take. They found out from their families about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. They made their peace with God. And the Four who rushed the cockpit did so for their country, their loved ones, and their fellow passengers. For that, they are all American Heroes.
And the audience left…in silence.
United 93 is rated R for language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence. Definitely not suitable for young children to watch until they become of age. My rating: 9