David McRaney  |  Journalist

'United Flight' leaves decision to audience

Everyone remembers where they were when they started hearing the news about Sept. 11. Whether you were in Nebraska or New York, the fear and the confusion crept up your back just the same.

I was in Sumrall, a small Mississippi town with one flashing red traffic light. I was at my parent's house, and we were watching the news. I remember calling my wife and waking her up.

"Turn on the television, and turn it to CNN," I said.

"Why? What's going on."

"I think we're under attack."

No matter where you fall along political, spiritual or philosophical lines, if you're an American, something happened to you that day, something you will always remember.

That's why I think the new Universal movie "United Flight 93" is so peculiar. It's such a clean, simple movie, anyone can come to it and remember how it felt to be part of that moment. I doubt anyone needs to be reminded of how they feel. But maybe we can be reminded that there is something we can all agree on - Sept. 11 belongs to us, not them.

I was disgusted when I first heard about this film. I always knew they would make a movie about Sept. 11, and I assumed it would be like the Ben Affleck version of "Pearl Harbor", a lot of flash and pow sprinkled cartoon emotions and cardboard people. I was certain the first Sept. 11 movie would be a 2-hour Coke commercial.

But, I walked out of the picture like everyone else. I was silent, my emotions scrambled. I sensed solidarity, but said nothing. I couldn't put my finger on any one agenda or message.

There are no recognizable actors in "United Flight 93", no memorable lines or catch phrases. There are no credits, nothing to grab your attention early on. In fact, if this were fiction, it would be downright boring until the last act.

The audience watches a day in the life of FAA officials, military commanders and air-traffic controllers as the drama unfolds aboard flight 93. The camerawork is gritty and handheld; the editing is sharp and chaotic. The drama is matter-of-fact. The score is thin and discreet. It feels as real as Hollywood can manage.

But, for the most part, it's just a lot of characters trying to make sense of what is going on before deciding to make a stand, whether that stand be grounding every plane in the country or charging the cockpit knowing you're facing certain death. We don't get to know these characters any more than we would get to know a fellow passenger on a plane, and so it goes.

These people are us. We all went through this, and when you leave the theater you ask each other "Would I have done what they did?" "What would you have done if-"

"United Flight 93" provide no answers. People are likely to drive home arguing or agreeing about Bush and Bin Laden, but neither is present in the film.

I don't think it's too soon to be making films like this if they are as even-handed and direct as "United Flight 93" tries to be. We should be defining what happened on that day as soon as possible, before politicians and historians start doing it for us. Thankfully, this movie is lean on conjecture. For all those things we can never know for sure, the film is modest in its portrayal. For all the things we do know, it is unflinching. It lets the audience decide for themselves how it all adds up.

So, go see this. Relive the moment. Then, consider all that has been said and written and done in its crumbling shadow - this movie included. Then, prepare yourself for more.

Originally published in The Student Printz on May 2, 2007