United 93

The movie officially opens tonight . The theater had two earlier showings. I've just come back from seeing it.

I didn't want to see this movie. I don't need to be reminded of 9-11 because I haven't forgotten that day nor will I ever. I'm not going to give you any long reasons or explanations of why I went except to say as silly as it may seem, I felt it was the right thing to do. And I'm not going to tell you to go see it. That's something you're going to have to decide for yourself just as I did.

United 93 starts off quietly, ordinarily just like September 11, 2001, itself, did. The intensity grows, just like it did that morning.

From air traffic control centers to NORAD, the unimaginable becomes the horrible reality of that day. What has occurred remains unknown to the passengers on United 93, until after the horror had already begun on their own flight.

There are moments of graphic violence depicted on the plane but none of it is done gratuitously. It happens so quickly, too, that on one level you already know what happened but on another, because of the use of hand-held cameras for the filming providing a you-are-there feel, you're also in the middle of the chaos and confusion.

Some movies are described as stunning because of their cinematography or costumes. I'm describing United 93 in that manner because I was so stunned, I was surprised to find the sun was still shining outside when I left the theater. Yes, it is that forceful.

There are no heroes in United 93. What there are is ordinary people like you and me who, on that flight, did not go to their deaths meekly. Knowing that unless they did something they were going to die, they joined together to fight for their lives.

With as political as the Oscars have become, I'll be shocked if United 93 receives a nomination in any of the major categories. What it deserves is Best Picture and for Paul Greengrass, Best Screenplay and Best Director.

Everything you've heard about this film is true.