Review of Flight 93

Introduction

On September 11th 2001 an event of true historic proportions occurred and the term 9/11 entered the public consciousness as meaning more than just the number dialed for the US emergency services. Hijackers seized commercial airliners and used them as weapons. Two hit the World Trade Center, reducing it to dust before our very eyes. Eyes that were glued to either TV screens or the internet as a new era of terrorism emerged. A third plane, although not according to the many conspiracy theorists the world over, hit the Pentagon in a strike directly at the heart of the US military.

What happened to the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, is not quite as clear. That it was hijacked and eventually crashed is seemingly beyond dispute. What is arguable, by some at least, is that this doomed flight was shot down before it was capable of hitting either the White House or the Capitol Building. To me, this is irrelevant. This plane contained a group of passengers, men and women thrown together by chance, who decided to fight back and sacrificed their lives to save more people from dying. From start to finish, this story lasts a total of just over two hours.

This made-for-TV film retells that story. Obviously elements are made up as no-one can say with authority what actually happened, but the script was written with the aid of phone transcripts and with the help of the families involved.

Video

It`s a made-for-TV job so budget considerations have to be made, and some of the CGI work is not that great. On the other hand it looks good and certainly has the feel of something more substantial than just `movie of the week`.

Audio

A choice of both 5.1 and Stereo 2.0 mixes, with added subtitles for the main feature only. There is only around 25 minutes of music overall, but this film doesn`t really need it.

Features

The Making Of - 12 minute featurette that does an adequate job.

Commentary with director Peter Markle and screenwriter Nevin Schreiner

Conclusion

Some say it is too soon to retell the tragic events that befell the United States and other countries on September 11th 2001. I say it`s not soon enough. The problem with 9/11 is that it`s now in the past, a part of history. Not forgotten exactly, but for many it`s just something that happened. Life goes on. That`s the way human beings live. We move on. Unless personally affected by any events that occur, we go through a gamut of emotions and then our lives carry on until the next event. This is the way it should be, but we should never forget.

I remember feeling the stunning disbelief of the planes hitting the twin towers. The footage was very real and relentless, and even now it has a tremendous emotional impact. Flight 93 was different, there was no footage that could be shown in this age of 24 hour news and so a kind of urban legend has grown over this flight and transcripts of phone conversations have turned the passengers of this doomed flight into unseen heroes. Flight 93 will forever be associated with `Let`s roll`, a phrase by Todd Beamer overheard by the Verizon employee Lisa Jefferson to whom Beamer was talking.

This film celebrates these heroes in a real way, showing them as just people thrown together by chance who realise what is happening and decide to do something about it. When you think made-for-TV, you immediately think of endless schmaltzy rubbish starring some relatively famous actor/actress, corny dialogue and over-emotional music. Flight 93 contains none of those things.

With a cast of unknowns, director Peter Merkle handles the story well and the viewer isn`t distracted with the usual `wasn`t he in…?` or `I like her, she was good in…` You don`t need character development because the viewer is always aware that these were real people and therefore most people have a built-in sympathy for what evolves on-screen. The dialogue doesn`t feel as corny as some might in other films, again because you know this is what happened. Those phone call scenes, based on transcripts and family recollection, are amongst the most heart-wrenching I can remember, the acting was superb and I have no shame in admitting I spent most of this film in tears. This is very powerful stuff, but again I think only because you have that real attachment to the story and you know how it`s going to end.

One of the valuable lessons that this film teaches us is that outside the centre of actual events is generally complete chaos as people struggle to understand what is happening and try to react. Those at the centre quickly gathered the information they needed and made a decision to act based on their experiences. The families on the ground were completely helpless, the authorities slightly less so. The latter though were hampered by all the events of that fateful day and had to attempt to gather all the intelligence and make sense of it. I can understand people being critical of the response, but I suspect that the same would happen again as real life doesn`t work like Hollywood or computer games. This film reflects all of these things and is handled well.

This release comes at a time when United 93 tackles the same subject in the cinema, but from a slightly different angle. Let`s just hope there`s room for them both, the world needs a few reminders of the horrors that befall us and that ordinary bedfellows sometimes make extraordinary heroes.