But I think that the concept is that Greengrass filmed the movie based on what actually happened, or as much of it as they could put together. So, the cell phone calls (which Joe Morgenstern at the Wall ST. Journal in his review called the most contrived even though they were true) are based on transcripts, and apparently it really did take them that long to rush the cockpit.

My understanding is that he tried to keep things in real time. So obviously as the audience you’d love for them to have moved faster (somehow wishing that it’d turn out differently), but it doesn’t. Similarly, I’ve also read that the way the plane moved, banked, shook, etc. was all based on the flight data and a review of the Sept. 11 report. So, he really is trying to be accurate and not affect the pacing to make it more Hollywood.

First of all, someone has said that “You don’t ‘review’ this film if you have an ounce of soul left to you.  You watch it.”  Pardon my soullessness, which I suppose is attested to by my dislike of Schindler’s List.

The movie opens in a hotel room(s?) of the four Islamofascists.  They are troubled and angsty, reading their little god book, praying on their mats, and shaving their torsos.  That’s as deep a picture of them that we get.  No arrogance of self-assuredness, and no night-before strip club.  (Remember that?)  If they have any motivation, we’re not given an indication of that.

There’s not much action on United 93 during the first part of the movie, in spite of the fact that there’s quite a bit of footage of it.  Most of the action takes place in different control rooms.  There’s a military control room, where the day begins with a planned NORAD exercise.  Once the military is interested, the guy in charge yells at one man after another to “light up all the blips” for one suspected airplane after another, while the guy in charge of him tries to get someone to okey-dokey shooting down planes.  There are two air traffic control rooms, where the men track planes and wonder why someone doesn’t do something about this situation.  The guy in charge is played by his real-life self, and (surprise!) is shown doing everything that he should have done.

Once things start on United 93, the (in)action on the ground is forgotten.  Of course, the passengers find out by calling the ground that they’re not a hijacked plane but a guided missile.  They quickly resolve to attack the Islamofascists and take control of the plane.  After resolving this, they wait for ten or so minutes, while the people call home and sob and cry and you dear viewer get to watch.  This unbelievable drawing things out continues after they start the attack, where they all pause to beat up one of the fascists instead of some doing so while the rest go on to take back the plane — even though they’ve thoroughly talked over how very necessary that is.

Having dispatched the first fascist, they rush the second, who holds them off with cart, mace, fire extinguisher, and knife, while the plane plummets and jerks, throwing everyone around and drawing things out even more.  After a bit, Number Two is put out of the way.  Then there’s a long attempt to get through the cabin door.  For some reason, the plane is still in the air for this to be achieved, and for everyone to claw at the last two.  Finally, everyone is put out of their misery.

I believe I can call this a snuff film because the action on the plane is so unnecessarily and unrealistically prolonged.  I didn’t actually yell out, “Get on with it!,” but I was inspired to a few times.

One of my fellow viewers had to bail out early on because the movie made him sick.  Not from the story or the emotions, but because all the cameras film fairly close up and constantly jerk around.  You might think, though I wouldn’t, that this would be fine when the passengers are rushing the fascists, but it is done all the time, even in a boring staff meeting of traffic controllers.  The cinematography works against the movie throughout all of it.

Any inspiration, resolve, respect, patriotism, that I left this film with, I brought into it with me.  Sorry, I thought it was crap.  Crap on ice.

It is only too obvious that this movie is not politically correct.

There were no chuckles, in fact there was dead silence, except maybe for a sniffle or too.

I felt like I had air sickness after watching the movie.

If people were laughing in the theater they must be the type who think that Bush reading “My Pet Goat” is hilarious and somehow a meaningful insight into the man.

Rick, thanks for dressing her down. My only problem with the movie is that the people who need to see it will not. But maybe it will buck up those who do see it but have been flagging, and help them realize that we are in fact in a war, and one that we’d better win.

Shrinkwrapped says that the appeasing crowd (lefties, cowards, etc.) denies that we are at war with this enemy in order to avoid having to face their own feelings of helplessness, terror and rage at those who attacked us. I know this failure is born of weakness in mind and character. Others of us raised with a sense of right and wrong knew exactly what we were facing that day and have not flinched from the duty and responsibility to fight it or to support the fight.

I was both mesmerized by the movie and in shock during it. At the end, I was uplifted and proud, and I plan to see it again, probably next weekend. It shows me what I know to be true in spite of all the efforts on the part of the MSM, academia and Hollywood to deny it. U-93 is pure.

Rick Moran took exception with a reviewer: If Stevens didn’t like U-93 that is her right. But to turn a movie review into a diatribe against the Bush Administration only makes her look like an idiot who doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

I wished I had tivo’d it or something because one of the panelists said the following (not a direct verbatim quote, but as close as I can remember):

panelist - I predict that more people will see this movie on the internet, and that it will wind up being more of a PUBLICITY STUNT FOR AL QAEDA than anything else.

He was jumped on immediately by the host and others on the panel for saying such a thing but it didn’t seem to matter to him.

That was just about a couple of hours before we went to see the movie and I can tell you, that this will NOT serve as an AQ propaganda film, it was the first AMERICAN victory in this war!!

Back in 1969, when I was on my way to visit friends who had been in a serious car accident, I had to walk through the military wards at Bethesda to get to their rooms. I was in the Navy back then and so were my friends. I saw for myself what war had done to the bodies of the men who fought there. There was one in particular that will remain in my memory for the rest of my life. His wounds were so grievous that I wanted to look away. I didn’t. I made myself a promise all those years ago that I would NEVER look away.

Somewhere is written that “The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance”. To me that means not looking away and facing evil head-on as those brave people did on Flight 93. God bless them.

Carol Johnson