United 93 is a 2006 docudrama action film produced, written, and directed by Paul Greengrass, that depicts the events around United Airlines Flight 93, one of four hijacked flights of the September 11 attacks. Flight 93 was the only plane not to hit a target due to the actions of its passengers. The film also covers the experiences of government officials and air traffic controllers as they witness the attacks unfold.
The film recounts the hijacking and subsequent events during the flight using a real time perspective, where the film takes place over the same amount of time as the real-life events, beginning from takeoff. There is, however, a disclaimer that some imagination was used to tell the story. United 93 was made with the support and cooperation of many passengers' families, who attended the premiere, although there were a few who did not participate in any of the film's activities. Some of the on-the-ground personnel, most notably Federal Aviation Administration head Ben Sliney, portray themselves.
United 93 premiered on April 25, 2006, at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, and later opened in theaters nationwide in America on April 28, 2006. The film was a box-office success, grossing $78 million worldwide. Ten percent of the gross income from the three-day opening weekend was promised as a donation to create a memorial for the flight's victims.
The film is often listed as one of best films of the 2000s and received accolades including two BAFTAS, an Empire Award and prizes at multiple international film festivals in addition to two Academy Award nominations: Best Director for Greengrass and Best Film Editing for Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, and Christopher Rouse.
Plot
At a hotel in Newark the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda members Ziad Jarrah, Saeed al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Nami, and Ahmed al-Haznawi pray before boarding United Airlines Flight 93. Among the passengers are Tom Burnett, Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, Lauren Grandcolas, and Mark Bingham. Meanwhile, air traffic controllers (ATC) lose contact with American Airlines Flight 11 which diverts toward New York City (NYC) while United 93 is delayed. ATCs realize Flight 11 has been hijacked after hearing Mohamed Atta transmitting. United 93 is cleared for take off, and not long after Flight 11 is crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower and United Airlines Flight 175, also hijacked, is crashed into the South Tower soon after.
As United 93 reaches its cruising altitude, Jarrah hesitates to begin the hijacking. An ACARS message warns of the events in NYC and potential cockpit intrusion. After Nami unsuccessfully urges Jarrah to attack, an impatient Haznawi prepares his fake bomb in the lavatory. Ghamdi proceeds, holding flight attendant Deborah Welsh at knifepoint as passenger Mark Rothenberg is stabbed by Haznawi. As Haznawi and Nami force the passengers to the back of the plane, Ghamdi stabs pilots Jason Dahl and LeRoy Homer, who manage to successfully transmit a mayday call before they succumb to their wounds. EMT Grandcolas tends to Rothenberg as the hijackers celebrate news of the successful NYC attack. Jarrah steers the plane towards Washington, D.C., intending to crash into the United States Capitol. Flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles find Rothenberg dead as Bradshaw witnesses the hijackers moving the pilots' bodies. The passengers become aware the hijackers have full control of the plane.
The hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 flies into the Pentagon. Federal Aviation Administration National Operations Manager Ben Sliney decides to shut down all U.S. air space and grounds all flights. On United 93, passengers learn of the terrorist attacks from family members via airphone. Realizing the hijackers are on a suicide mission, the passengers form a plan to retake the plane with assistance from the flight crew, who gather weapons. The plan is to subdue the hijackers, take control of the cockpit, and allow licensed pilot Donald Greene and former ATC Andrew Garcia to attempt to land the aircraft. As Haznawi and Nami realize that they are losing control of the situation, the passengers pray and make final calls to loved ones.
Beamer declares, "Let's roll", and the passengers charge Haznawi and subdue him. Nami alerts Jarrah and Ghamdi to the revolt; Bingham kills Haznawi by bludgeoning him with a fire extinguisher and the passengers determine the bomb is fake. Jarrah rocks the plane to disrupt the revolt as Nami attempts to keep the passengers at bay with a serving cart, pepper spray, and a fire extinguisher. The passengers persist and overpower him; Glick kills Nami. Jarrah and Ghamdi realize they will not reach their target as the passengers batter the cockpit door with the cart. Ghamdi tries to hold the door with an axe as Jarrah puts the aircraft into a steep dive. The passengers breach the cockpit and struggle with the two remaining hijackers over control of the yoke as United 93 inverts and crashes into a field in Pennsylvania, killing everyone aboard.
Title cards state that authorities were only given the order to shoot down hijacked planes after United 93 had crashed. The final card reads, "Dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001".
Cast
Crew J. J. Johnson as Captain Jason Dahl Gary Commock as First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr. Polly Adams as Deborah Welsh Trish Gates as Sandra Bradshaw Opal Alladin as CeeCee Lyles Nancy McDoniel as Lorraine G. Bay Starla Benford as Wanda Anita Green
Passengers Christian Clemenson as Tom Burnett Cheyenne Jackson as Mark Bingham David Alan Basche as Todd Beamer Peter Hermann as Jeremy Glick Corey Johnson as Louis J. Nacke, II Daniel Sauli as Richard Guadagno Richard Bekins as William Joseph Cashman Michael J. Reynolds as Patrick Joseph Driscoll Peter Marinker as Andrew Garcia David Rasche as Donald Freeman Greene Chip Zien as Mark Rothenberg Erich Redman as Christian Adams Kate Jennings Grant as Lauren Grandcolas Simon Poland as Alan Anthony Beaven Trieste Kelly Dunn as Deora Frances Bodley Jodie Lynne McClintock as Marion R. Britton Marceline Hugot as Georgine Rose Corrigan Rebecca Schull as Patricia Cushing Ray Charleson as Joseph DeLuca Tom O'Rourke as Donald Peterson Becky London as Jean Headley Peterson John Rothman as Edward P. Felt Libby Morris as Hilda Marcin Denny Dillon as Colleen Fraser Susan Blommaert as Jane Folger Tara Hugo as Kristin White Gould Lorna Dallas as Linda Gronlund Masato Kamo as Liza Colón-Zayas as Waleska Martinez Olivia Thirlby as Nicole Carol Miller Leigh Zimmerman as Christine Snyder Joe Jamrog as John Talignani Chloe Sirene as Honor Elizabeth Wainio
Hijackers Khalid Abdalla as Ziad Jarrah Lewis Alsamari as Saeed al-Ghamdi Jamie Harding as Ahmed al-Nami Omar Berdouni as Ahmed al-Haznawi
Herndon, Virginia Ben Sliney as himself Rich Sullivan as himself Tony Smith as himself Tobin Miller as himself Michael Bofshever as John White
Eastern Air Defense Sector, (NEADS), Rome, New York Patrick St. Esprit as Major Kevin Nasypany Gregg Henry as Colonel Robert Marr Karen Kirkpatrick as Major Dawne Deskins Major James Fox as himself Staff Sergeant Shawna Fox as herself First Lieutenant Jeremy Powell as himself
Ronkonkoma, New York Peter Pellicane as Paul Thumser John E. Smith as Dave Bottiglia Curt Applegate as himself
Boston, Massachusetts Scott Tourin as Peter Zalewski Thomas Roberts as himself John Moraitis as John Reilly
Cleveland, Ohio Daniel Fraser as John Werth Morgan Deare as Tom Cloud
Newark, New Jersey Greg Callahan as himself Rick Tepper as himself
Production The film was the first Hollywood feature to draw its narrative directly from the September 11 attacks of 2001. Passengers were portrayed in the film mostly by professional but relatively unknown actors. (Tom Burnett, for instance, is played by Christian Clemenson, who has since appeared on Boston Legal and CSI: Miami). Additionally, several participants in the real-life events portray themselves in the film, including Thomas Roberts, Tobin Miller, Rich Sullivan, Tony Smith, James Fox, Shawna Fox, Jeremy Powell, Curt Applegate, Greg Callahan, Rick Tepper, and notably FAA operations manager Ben Sliney. Sliney was initially involved in the film in an advisory role. He was then cast in a small role as an air traffic controller. Later, Greengrass offered him the opportunity to play himself, which he accepted.Germain, David. (2006, April 29). FAA official plays self in ‘United 93’ Retrieved September 1, 2022, from https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/apr/29/faa-official-plays-self-in-united-93/ The roles of one of the flight attendants, the two pilots, and many other airline personnel were filled by actual airline employees.
During production, the actors playing the crew and the passengers were put in separate hotels from the actors portraying the hijackers, and ate their meals separately, ostensibly to create an air of antagonism between the two groups. The set itself was built so that it moved in the way the actual flight did. During filming, many of the actors got injured, and the blood visible on their faces during the revolt scene is authentic. Finishing the first take, Jamie Harding, who played al-Nami, became overwhelmed and was sobbing.
Filming took place from October until December 2005, on a 20-year-old reclaimed Boeing 757 formerly operated by MyTravel Airways, at Pinewood Studios in the UK near London. The cockpit was built by Flightdeck Solutions. The location was chosen both for its financial incentives and to shield actors from unwanted scrutiny that they might have received in the United States.Burkeman, Oliver (April 28, 2006). "The Day They Hijacked America". The Guardian. Action was filmed with handheld cameras, chosen for their versatility on the close-quarters sets and to create a sense of immediacy. Exterior airport sequences were shot on location at Newark Liberty International Airport, while interiors were shot in England at London Stansted Airport. Some scenes were also shot in Washington, D.C. and Boston. Additionally, an opening sequence set in Afghanistan was shot in Morocco, but it was cut from the film before release.
Release The film was released in the United States on April 28, 2006, and opened second in the weekend box office behind RV, but it netted a slightly higher per-screen average.
The first trailer used the title Flight 93. United Airlines had no involvement with its production, and did not consent to its content. When Universal Studios deemed the intended title legally sound, it was changed in March 2006, and the final trailer used the title United 93.
There were calls for Universal to pull the trailers from circulation in cinemas, due to some audience members feeling startled or upset by the subject matter. The studio ignored that call, although one theatre in Manhattan voluntarily pulled the trailer after complaints.
Initial screenings ended with the closing credits line "America's War on Terror had begun". This was replaced in the release version with "Dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001".Lim, Dennis (April 18, 2006). "A Flight to Remember" . The Village Voice.