United 93 (2006)

A real time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

Director:

Paul Greengrass

Writer:

Paul Greengrass

Stars:

J.J. Johnson, David Alan Basche, Liza Colón-Zayas

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
J.J. Johnson	...	Captain Jason Dahl
Gary Commock	...	First Officer LeRoy Homer
Polly Adams	...	Deborah Welsh
Opal Alladin	...	CeeCee Lyles
Starla Benford	...	Wanda Anita Green
Trish Gates	...	Sandra Bradshaw
Nancy McDoniel	...	Lorraine G. Bay
David Alan Basche	...	Todd Beamer
Richard Bekins	...	William Joseph Cashman
Susan Blommaert	...	Jane Folger
Ray Charleson	...	Joseph DeLuca
Christian Clemenson	...	Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.
Liza Colón-Zayas	...	Waleska Martinez
Lorna Dallas	...	Linda Gronlund
Denny Dillon	...	Colleen Fraser

Storyline

On September, 11th 2001, two American Airlines and two United Airlines domestic U.S. flights are hijacked by terrorists. After the collision of two planes against the World Trade Center and one against the Pentagon, the passengers and crew of United Flight 93 decide to struggle against the four terrorist to take back the control of the airplane.

---

Plot Keywords:

passenger | flight | terrorist | september 11 2001 | hijack | 

---

Taglines:

The war on terror begins with 40 ordinary people.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | History

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence (appeal planned)

Details

Country:

France UK USA

Language:

English Arabic German

Release Date:

28 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flight 93

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$97,683 (Hong Kong) (8 September 2006)

Gross:

$177,151 (Chile) (29 September 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shortly after Mark Bingham (Cheyenne Jackson) gets on the plane, he strikes up a conversation with Tom Burnett (Christian Clemenson) about the rugby union football club to which he belonged. Bingham played amateur rugby with the San Francisco Fog, a Bay Area-club that encourages the participation of people of color, gay men, and women. Most of the Fog's members are gay men, as Bingham himself was.

---

Goofs

During the take off roll, the curtain that divides First Class and Economy class is closed. This is in breach of FAA regulations that state the curtain must be stowed for taxi, take-off and landing.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Ahmed Al Haznawi: [subtitled Arabic] Ziad. It's time.

---

Crazy Credits

The very last line of closing credits states that the movie was "not sponsored by, or in any way affiliated with, United Airlines."

---

Connections

Version of Flight 93: The Flight That Fought Back (2005)

User Reviews

A powerful, tasteful and important film...

I saw this at a special screening. I have not stopped thinking about it since. A emotional and powerful film that I will remember forever. I can't fault anyone who doesn't want to see this film. But please put to rest any fears that this film was made purely to turn a profit and serves no purpose.

For all those who were afraid that this film would be exploitive, propaganda filled Hollywood schlock, I'm sorry to say that could not be farther from the truth.

Though for the most part I'm still at a loss for words I'll do my best to give you a short and sweet overview.

Paul Greengrass has done the seemingly impossible by making a Hollywood film about this subject everyone is afraid to touch, but made it in such a way that it's hard to find fault, despite everyone's initial misgivings. No 'rah rah' patriotism. No veiled political stances. No cartoonish villains. No making the enemy sympathetic. Just a brilliantly executed look at what did happen and what 'might' have happened on that fateful day.

What makes it more effective is that all throughout you don't recognize any of the actors. They may as well be "real people". You're never thinking to yourself, 'oh that's Nicolas Cage', conscious of the fact that it's acting. And come to find out, many of the air traffic controllers and military personnel are playing themselves! This makes it all the more real and draws you in and takes you back to that day.

And when the passengers decide to fight back? There's no swelling of violins or slow motion shots. They don't have a rallying cry or 'lets do it for Uncle Sam' type speech to motivate everyone. No, these passengers were reacting spontaneously to the situation as it played out and were acting on their survival instinct. You can't help but think how you would react in that situation and makes it all the more compelling and powerful.

I won't say this film is for everyone. It IS hard to watch at times. But I'm so glad I did see it. Very cathartic in a way. And trust me, this film couldn't have been done in a more professional, classy way. This feels genuine; of course they are going to 'profit' off it, but you get the sense that the filmmakers and everyone involved poured their hearts into this project and did this to tell a story. A more dignified and heroic story I don't think I've ever seen.