A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on September 11th, 2001 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.
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On September 11, 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 terrorists to take back the control of the airplane. Written by
Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
To make the movie as authentic as possible, director Paul Greengrass cast a number of real-life participants in the events of September 11, 2001 to play themselves. The principal "real-life role" in the movie is Ben Sliney, the FAA's National Operations Manager, who made the decision on 9/11 to shut down all air traffic operations in the United States. Sliney had just been promoted to the National Operations Manager position, and September 11, 2001 was his first day on the job. (This explains why he receives applause from the FAA flight monitors when he walks into the control center in Herndon, VA, at the beginning of the movie.) Several officials who were with Sliney in the FAA control room on 9/11 play themselves (including Tobin Miller, Rich Sullivan, and Tony Smith). In the scenes at Newark Airport, several air traffic controllers who were in the Newark control tower on 9/11, and who witnessed the air attacks on the World Trade Center, play themselves. In the scenes at the air traffic monitoring centers in Boston, New York, and Cleveland, the air traffic monitors are all played by real-life air traffic controllers, including several who were at these locations on 9/11, and who monitored the hijacked flights. In the scenes at the Northeast Air Defense Command Center (NEADS) in Rome, NY, most of the military personnel are played by real-life military air traffic controllers, including several people (notably Major James Fox) who were at NEADS on 9/11. Also, on United Flight 93, the actors playing the pilots in the movie are real-life airline pilots, and the stewardesses are played by real airline stewardesses, some of whom actually work for United Airlines. See more »
Goofs
Ziad Jarrah is not seen telling passengers via the speakers that a bomb is on-board and his demands are met which is what he did in real life. Plus we don't see him accidentally telling this message to the people on the ground. See more »
A friend of mine has a sister in the Air National Guard. The morning of September 11th, 2001, she was called away prior to the incident involving Flight 93. She was gone for several weeks. When she returned, she was under direct orders to not discuss anything having to do with Flight 93.
It became apparent why, thanks to Donald Rumsfeld's Freudian slip during a speech. Six important words to remember: "...shot down the plane over Pennsylvania..." There was no crash.
Witnesses on the ground reported seeing military jets in the vicinity prior to the incident. One reported hearing an explosion and then seeing a military jet streaking away. A short time later, Flight 93 came down. Pieces of the plane were scattered over an area three miles from the impact site. A crash doesn't do that.
As there were no survivors, no one truly knows what happened on board...except, apparently, Hollywood...in order to turn a fast buck on a tragedy and play on America's emotions once more, five years after the event that is still painful for many to this day...and just in time to prop up the failing polls of Mr. "Dead-or-Alive" Bush who is no longer concerned about bin Laden.
In addition to exploitation for the purpose of more millions of dollars hitting the bank accounts of producers, directors and actors, this movie had one central purpose...to keep Joe and Jane American in check, and reiterate the points of a failing administration in Washington in the face of so much contrary evidence.
If you love propaganda films, this is the one to watch. Had the former Soviet Union thought of this one during the Cold War, we'd all be drinking vodka and eating borscht.
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A friend of mine has a sister in the Air National Guard. The morning of September 11th, 2001, she was called away prior to the incident involving Flight 93. She was gone for several weeks. When she returned, she was under direct orders to not discuss anything having to do with Flight 93.
It became apparent why, thanks to Donald Rumsfeld's Freudian slip during a speech. Six important words to remember: "...shot down the plane over Pennsylvania..." There was no crash.
Witnesses on the ground reported seeing military jets in the vicinity prior to the incident. One reported hearing an explosion and then seeing a military jet streaking away. A short time later, Flight 93 came down. Pieces of the plane were scattered over an area three miles from the impact site. A crash doesn't do that.
As there were no survivors, no one truly knows what happened on board...except, apparently, Hollywood...in order to turn a fast buck on a tragedy and play on America's emotions once more, five years after the event that is still painful for many to this day...and just in time to prop up the failing polls of Mr. "Dead-or-Alive" Bush who is no longer concerned about bin Laden.
In addition to exploitation for the purpose of more millions of dollars hitting the bank accounts of producers, directors and actors, this movie had one central purpose...to keep Joe and Jane American in check, and reiterate the points of a failing administration in Washington in the face of so much contrary evidence.
If you love propaganda films, this is the one to watch. Had the former Soviet Union thought of this one during the Cold War, we'd all be drinking vodka and eating borscht.