United 93 Film - Essay Example

One story that has had a powerful impact on my life was the film United 93. This film, directed by Paul Greengrass changed my views on the events of 9/11. It is a powerful story that made me realize that the attackers on September 11, 2001, were also human too. They had feelings and emotions just like we all do, no matter how misguided their theology was.

The film is based on the real-life of events of the 9/11 attacks, particularly flight United 93, which was the fourth plane in the attacks and was the only one not to hit its target, whatever that may have been. The events in the movie are intended to be as truthful as possible, and it takes on the views and opinions of some of the family members of the victims. The movie begins with a scene of the hijackers praying in their hotel room. It then shows the four attackers leaving for Newark International Airport. Before they board the plane, a scene shows one of the hijackers calling his family members and saying goodbye. I was taken aback by this because I have always seen those people as terrorists and monsters, yet they seemed to be human just like me or anyone else during this movie. Once the plane is in the air, the scene is just like any normal morning domestic flight; people are laughing and joking around, sitting quietly in their seats, while others were just taking sips of coffee while admiring the view. While this flight is in the air, on the ground we can see the television coverage of the two planes crashing into the World Trade Center; the passengers on Flight 93 are oblivious to the fact. Meanwhile, the terrorists are discussing among themselves when to start their operation. One of the hijackers assembles a fake bomb, while the other three storm the cockpit. The passengers begin to understand the events happening in New York and thus decide to retake the plane to prevent a similar event from occurring. They overpower the terrorist who claims to be holding a bomb, which later turns out to be a fake. The passengers who are onboard Flight 93 attempt to storm the cockpit, but the terrorist pilot elects to drive the plane straight into the ground. Once this happens, the screen goes blank and the film is over.

This is a powerful film that is very touching and causes people to reflect after they had seen it. Many of us feel anger when we think about the events of 9/11, yet this film displays the attacks from a different point of view. Instead of focusing on the horrible events at hand, the movie shows the emotions of many people, ranging from the terrorist's onboard Flight 93 to the passengers and their feelings. The film is impacting because it shows a good story out of something that is undeniably evil. The passengers banded together and showed the best of the human spirit. This is something to be admired and should be the real focus of 9/11, and not the gruesome attacks, however horrible they may be. Overall, this film has altered my views on the events of 9/11 and has made me see that there were real human emotions involved that day, including from the side of the attackers.