I’ll never understand the mindset of the terrorists who acted in collusion to kill thousands of people on Sept. 11, 2001. Ten years later, it’s still inconceivable to me that a human being could be capable of such evil. I’m also unable to comprehend what the experience was like for the passengers on the planes as they were suddenly faced with a violent end to their lives.
One minute, they’re working, sipping on coffee, and planning their day, and the next, there’s a terrorist in the aisle, screaming at them, and they have less than an hour to live. I’m not alone in feeling this way. Videos on YouTube of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers and of audio clips of passengers calling 9-1-1 have attracted millions of hits, suggesting there are a lot of people out there who are searching for answers. Why did this happen? How could this have happened? What was it like for the people who died?
Given the impact of the events of that day, it’s no surprise that Hollywood produced several movies about what took place. I don’t believe greed or exploitation were at the center of those efforts, but that the people who made them were memorializing the innocent people who lost their lives, preserving history, and trying to answer the questions that still burn in our hearts today. Indeed, it was five years before a movie about 9/11 hit theaters, not because it took that long to make one, but because it took the public that long to catch its breath.
While director Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center” was the most monetarily successful of these efforts, I want to focus on what I believe is a superior movie: “United 93.” Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, the director of the second and third “Bourne Identity” films, it tackles the question that still troubles me when I think of that day: What was it like for the people who died? I can’t think of a better director for this material than Greengrass.
First, he knows how to use the filmmaking tools at his disposal. Also, his handheld approach to filming was a perfect match for the story. At times, the footage is so natural and unassuming, “United 93” almost feels like a documentary. And Greengrass is a master at capturing subtle nuances that draw a viewer into a scene. I appreciate the shot in which the captain invites passengers to look over Manhattan, and Greengrass shows the tip of the Twin Towers through a passenger window as he pans up to the face of one of the terrorists.
I also admire the editing, which is masterful. As passengers are boarding the plane, Greengrass provides snippets of dialogue between the crew rather than entire conversations, and glimpses of the pilots preparing the plane for the trip, the attendants making coffee, and the passengers settling in. It’s a routine trip for them, but knowing what’s coming gives tragic weight to shots of a young girl putting on lip balm and a group of men looking at a Yellowstone brochure.
Flight 93 was the only plane the 9/11 terrorists hijacked that didn’t reach its intended target. While speculation abounds, it’s clear the passengers learned about the other hijackings from the loved ones they’d called and then attempted to wrestle control of the plane from the terrorists. Greengrass ratchets up the intensity until the final shot the movie, when his camera looks up from the struggle for control of the cockpit to show a field outside Shanksville, Penn., rapidly approaching. As the screen went to black, everything I experienced 10 years ago upon hearing the news came back to me. Yet, as harrowing as “United 93” is, I knew I still had no idea what it was like for the people on that plane.
I’m grateful for their heroism, though. Their efforts likely saved lives in Washington, D.C., as it’s believed the U.S. Capitol Building was the intended target. While some of the events in “United 93” are clearly speculative, Greengrass grounded his movie in what we know happened to produce a remarkable movie, a memorial to the victims, and a permanent window into a heartbreaking moment in history. It’s art that cries, “God forbid this should ever happen again.”