Friday, September 11, 2015

September 11 - United 93

Today’s movie is a drama that happens on September 11. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

UNITED 93   

On an ordinary Tuesday, September 11, 2001 the passengers, crew  and four terrorists board United flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. Boston air traffic control hears a suspicious broadcast from American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston and they contact the National Air Traffic Control Center(NATCC)  about the broadcast. United 93 has to wait an extra thirty minutes on the ground, waiting to take off. The military’s Northeast Air Defense Control Center(NEADCC) is contacted about the hijacking and they treat it very casually.  NATCC learns that American flight 11 has been hijacked. When Boston air traffic control replays their tape recording of the original suspicious message they realize the hijacker said, “planes”. United 93 takes off. New York air traffic control(NYATC) hears a suspicious broadcast from United flight 175 and then American flight 11 disappears off the radar over Manhattan. The Newark control tower notices the World Trade Center(WTC) is smoking. NATCC, NEADCC and NYATC hear a ‘small’ plane has hit the north tower of the WTC and they all watch CNN. United 93 reaches cruising altitude. United 175 and another plane almost collide, since it does not respond to air traffic control. NYATC loses United 175 off of radar. The Newark tower watches it live and people at the NEADCC and NATCC on CNN watch United 175 hit the South tower. NATCC orders a halt to takeoffs from Boston, New York and Washington. The NEADCC sends fighter jets over New York without FCC clearance. The NEADCC is told (incorrectly) that American 11 is still airborne and headed for Washington. NATCC is notified that American flight 75 and Delta flight 1989 are not responding to air traffic control. NEADCC tries to find out what their “rules of engagement” with any hijacked planes are. On Flight 93 the terrorists stab a passenger, force a stewardess to open the cockpit and kill the pilots. They herd the passengers to the rear of the plane. The passengers call on their cell phones and in flight phones and learn about the other planes being crashed. The NATCC orders all planes grounded and US airspace closed. The hijackers fly United 93 to a lower altitude. The passengers gather weapons and make plans. They find a passenger who is a small plane pilot. They attack the hijackers who respond, by crashing the plane, killing everyone on board. [the entire film occurs on 9/11]           
                       
This is a very difficult film to watch. Maybe in twenty or thirty years someone can watch it and give an  objective evaluation. Has an almost documentary feel to it that makes the horror seem even worse than it
was.

True Crime by Nick Yapp (Parragon Publishing, Bath, UK, 2006) at pages 144-146 and the film at 1:42:48 give the date

Awards - The film was nominated for the Best Director and Best Film Editing Oscars.

Director -  Paul Greengrass      

Screenplay - Paul Greengrass

Running Time -  1 hour 51 minutes    

Released - April 28, 2006

Starring - 

Polly Adams as Deborah Welsh
David Basche as Todd Beamer

Copyright by Ivan Walters  in 2015.

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