DVD Review Official HTF Review: United 93 (Widescreen) (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I just recently finished watching this film on DVD and have
some thoughts.

The film itself is difficult to watch. About 3/4 of the way through,
when the terrorists make themselves known to the crew, you can't
help but place yourself on that plane and become emotionally involved
with what is happening at that moment.

Credit must be given to the Director, Paul Greengrass, for creating
a film that didn't attempt to overdramatize the events of that day,
and ultimately, gave much respect to the people being portrayed on
screen. Watching this film, you feel as if the story being told is real.

As emotional as the film itself was for me, I was not prepared for
the featurette on The families and the film. It's one thing to
see actors on screen portraying characters in a life and death
situation -- but to see the actual families of the deceased telling
their stories was very difficult to watch. I cried throughout this
featurette many times over. While it's not an easy viewing, it
is a necessary one.

Absolutely, this is a film that everyone needs to see.

 

[Sam Posten]

Agreed on Ron's points!

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Thanks for the review, Sam. I did not pay that close attention to the video, because I guess I was too drawn in to the emotional aspects of the story. I did think the sound design during the final moments was excellent (although it almost seems harsh to say that).

Ron, I could not make it through the documentary on disc 1. When the first actor visiting the real family started to lose it, so did I. I'll try again some other day.

The documentary on disc 2 was easier to see, because it included interviews with the people who played themselves in the film, along with a few other people who were involved.

I think this is an important film--one that will need to be shown to our children in years to come as one of the many examples of heroism witnessed on that terrible day.

- Steve

 

[Yumbo]

I thought Flight 93 was better, emotionally.

 

[Ben_Williams]

I couldn't agree more... this is definitely a film that I think should be required viewing. It's a harrowing, humbling and extremely emotional experience. It's also a fantastic piece of filmmaking.

 

[Christian Preischl]

I saw the film for the first time last weekend. Going in, I expected all kinds of feelings to hit me, and they certainly did. The one feeling I didn't expect, though, was anger. Yet I couldn't help but feel pissed off at the filmmakers for the portrayal of the German passenger (wanting to stop the American passengers from interfering and jumping up, screaming "I am German, I don't want to die!", thereby endangering the whole operation), particularly since there is no evidence whatsoever indicating that he really behaved that way.

I've read that the passenger's wife didn't want to cooperate with the filmmakers because it was "too painful". I just hope she never sees the film and experiences her husband essentially being portrayed as a coward while all the other passengers are heroes.

I've been arguing with myself for days whether I should post this or not, particularly since there is the danger of this turning into a political debate that would shut down the thread pretty fast.

But there's really no reason to.

I just felt like pointing it out because in my opinion this portrayal sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise excellent film.

 

[Tino]

I don't recall this scene.

We're talking about United 93 right, NOT Flight 93 right??

 

[Christian Preischl]

Yes, we are. He's shouting those words in German, so you may not have understood them. The "Let's do nothing" attitude is in English though.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Christian is correct, Tino. The scene is there.

I love the film, but the one thing that stuck out a bit was the foreign passenger being the big pansy. But Christian needs to understand an immutable law of Hollywood. Germans are cowardly, yellow-bellied chocolate lovers. Just like real life