United 93 - A Balancing Act...A Good One Too

When trailers for Paul Greengrass's 9/11-pic "United 93" hit theaters around the nation, many were outraged that Hollywood had stooped low enough to exploit national tragedy for a summer action flicks and a quick buck. Few suspected the reality of the situation: that U-93 would receive the universal rave reviews it did, and would be considered the first film of 2006 to actually make a run for the podium.

Greengrass balances a fine line between tragedy exploitation and melodramatic fluff to create an honest and riveting account of the events of September 11th, 2001. The film not only centers on United flight 93, the only flight to not reach its target, but also the air-traffic control of the FAA, NORAD, and other airport control towers.

Greengrass spends the first hour of the film creating a tangible element of suspense. We know what is going to happen, so the events leading up to the takeover of the four planes are that much more effective. As subtle as the door of flight 93 locking shut, and as obvious as an air-traffic analyst discovery that multiple planes, rather than just one, have been hijacked, each shot opens old wounds and sends chills of recognition down more than a few spines.

With incredible integration of actual news footage, as the events unfold, the audience is left reliving the entire day, which can be a good and a bad thing. While some may not be completely ready for such a real depiction of such a devastating day, others may use the film as a subtle reminder of our nation's fallibility. Whether you see it now or later, I urge everyone to see it at one point. It is by far the most important movie of the year, despite the political nature of other 2006 movies (cough "V for Vendetta" cough).

"United 93" is the stuff of great humanity: fear, anger, confusion, bravery, honesty, love, and inspiration. The film can never be enjoyed because of its close attachment to such a morose day, but it should certainly be admired, revered, and honored.

The film will not earn any acting nominations except a possible SAG Ensemble Cast award. The films standout performances are not easily singled out because all are equally brilliant. The short phone conversations the passengers to family members deserve Oscar recognition by themselves, but not even the Academy would recognize such small performances.

The directing stands a significant chance of nomination. Greengrass chooses his hand-held, shaky camera work to add a sense of tension and reality. From the very first scene, we are not an audience watching a screen, but an audience standing in the room, office, cockpit, or cabin. His choice to use mostly unknown actors augments the feeling that this could have happened to any of us. Though his shaky camera work grows tiresome and dizzying in some scenes, it serves its purpose for the most part.

Expect possible nominations in some of the tech categories, screenplay, directing, and picture.

Greengrass' new piece-de-reality is the first major Oscar contender of the year. While early release dates have hindered the Oscar buzz for films and performances in the past, the success of last year's Best Pic "Crash" proves that great films are great films, no matter when they were released.

GRADE: A