United 93

Many of the reviews for 'United 93' indicated the movie was credible, thought-provoking, and well-made. Many of these same reviews wondered the same thing, though: "Why? What is the purpose of this movie?" Seeing this movie for the first time more than five years after 9/11, it's clear this movie is necessary, that it does serve a purpose.

The phrase '9/11' has been co-opted by so many groups for political or personal gain, it's often difficult to conjure the feelings evoked that terrible morning. The term '9/11' now means so much more than the events of that day. Politicians have used the phrase as an unjustified scare tactic for so long, it has lost its emotional pull. '9/11' is now just shorthand for an ambiguous, omnipresent threat used to justify losses of personal freedoms and exorbitant government spending.

All of which brings us back to the visceral emotions renewed while watching the brilliantly directed film 'United 93'. No one in the movie knows anything about all that came after that day. Pilots check pre-flight routines, passengers waste time waiting for boarding, and air traffic control is pleased the weather is clear. Events unfold at a pace simulating real time, and our vulnerability is exposed, as one plane after another is hijacked. It's impossible to watch this film and not feel the emotions of that day, emotions that have been buried in recent years by exploitation and politics as usual. To answer the reviewers of its original release, that is why this movie was made. Who could have suspected we might need the reminder already?