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United 93 (film)

From Alfawiki
United 93
Company typeFilm
IndustryMotion picture
Founded2006
FounderPaul Greengrass
ProductsBiographical action drama film

United 93 is a 2006 biographical action drama film that was produced, written, and directed by Paul Greengrass. It depicts the harrowing events on board the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, one of the four flights involved in the September 11 attacks. Flight 93 stands out as the only aircraft that failed to reach its designated target due to the courageous resistance of passengers and crew. The movie also features portrayals of government officials and air traffic controllers—many appearing as themselves—who respond to the crisis as it unfolds.

The story unfolds in real time, aligning with the actual duration of the hijacking from takeoff, although some dramatization was introduced for narrative purposes. The production received backing from most families of the passengers, with numerous relatives attending the premiere, while some chose not to participate. Notably, figures such as Federal Aviation Administration chief Ben Sliney appear portraying themselves.

United 93 debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2006, followed by a nationwide release across the United States on April 28. The film garnered widespread critical praise and achieved commercial success, earning $76.3 million globally against a $15 million budget. A commitment was made to donate ten percent of the opening weekend’s revenue toward establishing a memorial honoring the victims. Additionally, it received two Academy Award nominations: Best Director for Greengrass and Best Film Editing for Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, and Christopher Rouse.

Plot

On September 11, 2001, members of al-Qaeda—Ziad Jarrah, Saeed al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Nami, and Ahmed al-Haznawi—offer prayers in a hotel located in Newark, New Jersey before boarding United Airlines Flight 93, which is scheduled to fly to San Francisco. Among the passengers are Tom Burnett, Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, Richard Guadagno, Louis J. Nacke II, Lauren Grandcolas, and Mark Bingham. After losing communication with American Airlines Flight 11, which diverts toward New York City and crashes into the North Tower, United 93 departs amid congested airspace. Both Flight 11 and United 93’s counterpart, Flight 175, are hijacked and ultimately crash into the Twin Towers.

Once United 93 reaches its cruising altitude, Jarrah hesitates before initiating the hijacking. An alert message via ACARS from First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr.’s wife warns about attacks on the WTC and advises caution against cockpit breaches. Following initial delays, Haznawi prepares a fake bomb; Ghamdi holds flight attendant Deborah Welsh at knifepoint while Haznawi fatally stabs passenger Mark Rothenberg. The hijackers force passengers toward the rear cabin, kill both pilots despite a mayday call being sent out, and slit Welsh’s throat as Jarrah assumes control. Grandcolas tends to Rothenberg before being ordered back. Jarrah then redirects the aircraft toward Washington, D.C., aiming for the United States Capitol. Flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles discover Rothenberg’s death and overhear hijackers moving bodies.

Meanwhile, after hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, FAA National Operations Manager Ben Sliney orders a complete shutdown of U.S. airspace. Passengers aboard United 93 learn about other attacks through airphone calls and come to understand their hijackers’ suicide mission. Burnett, Bingham, Beamer, Glick (a former judo champion), Guadagno, Nacke, Grandcolas, along with William Cashman, Patrick Driscoll, Alan Beaven, and flight attendants Bradshaw and Lyles collaborate to devise a plan to regain control of the aircraft by gathering makeshift weapons. They identify Donald Greene as a licensed pilot and Andrew Garcia as a former air traffic controller. As tension escalates among hijackers struggling to accelerate toward D.C., passengers pray and make final phone calls.

Beamer initiates the counterattack with his rallying cry “let’s roll,” overpowering Haznawi. Bingham delivers a fatal blow to Haznawi using a fire extinguisher; Nacke reveals that the bomb is a bluff. Jarrah violently maneuvers the plane; Nami fights back with a serving cart, mace, and extinguisher but is subdued. Glick kills Nami by breaking his neck. Realizing they cannot reach their target as passengers batter down the cockpit door, Jarrah opts to crash rather than surrender control. He initiates a steep dive just as passengers break through into the cockpit. A struggle ensues until United 93 crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, resulting in no survivors on board.

Crew

  • J. J. Johnson as Captain Jason Dahl
  • Gary Commock portraying First Officer LeRoy Homer Jr.
  • Polly Adams in the role of Deborah Welsh
  • Trish Gates as Sandra Bradshaw
  • Opal Alladin playing CeeCee Lyles
  • Nancy McDoniel as Lorraine G. Bay
  • Starla Benford portraying Wanda Anita Green

Hijackers

Passengers

Herndon, Virginia

  • Ben Sliney appearing as himself
  • Rich Sullivan as himself
  • Tony Smith in his own role
  • Tobin Miller appearing as himself
  • Michael Bofshever portraying John White

Eastern Air Defense Sector, (NEADS), Rome, New York

  • Patrick St. Esprit as Major Kevin Nasypany
  • Gregg Henry portraying Colonel Robert Marr
  • Karen Kirkpatrick in the role of Major Dawne Deskins
  • Major James Fox appearing as himself
  • Staff Sergeant Shawna Fox playing herself
  • First Lieutenant Jeremy Powell also appearing as himself

Ronkonkoma, New York

  • Peter Pellicane as Paul Thumser
  • John E. Smith portraying Dave Bottiglia
  • Curt Applegate appearing as himself

Boston, Massachusetts

  • Scott Tourin in the role of Peter Zalewski
  • Thomas Roberts appearing as himself
  • John Moraitis portraying John Reilly

Cleveland, Ohio

  • Daniel Fraser playing John Werth
  • Morgan Deare in the role of Tom Cloud

Newark, New Jersey

  • Greg Callahan appearing as himself
  • Rick Tepper also appearing as himself

Production

This film marked Hollywood's initial direct dramatization of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The passengers were primarily portrayed by skilled yet relatively unknown actors, including Christian Clemenson (Tom Burnett), recognized for his roles on Boston Legal and CSI: Miami. The cast also featured real-life figures such as journalist Thomas Roberts and FAA operations manager Ben Sliney, who transitioned from consultant to portraying himself on screen. Actual airline staff members were cast to represent flight attendants, pilots, and other airline personnel.

To maintain realism, those embodying crew and passengers were kept separate from actors playing hijackers during filming, encouraging authentic tension during scenes. The production utilized a set that simulated the Boeing 757's movements; several performers sustained genuine injuries throughout shooting, with authentic blood used during revolt sequences. Jamie Harding (portraying al-Nami) reportedly became emotionally distressed after his initial take.

Filming took place between October and December 2005 aboard a two-decade-old Boeing 757 at Pinewood Studios near London—a location chosen for its financial benefits and to avoid intense U.S. media attention. The cockpit was custom-built by Flightdeck Solutions. Handheld cameras captured close-range action to heighten immediacy and intimacy. Exterior airport scenes were filmed at Newark Liberty International Airport; interior shots took place at London Stansted Airport; additional footage was captured in Washington, D.C., and Boston. A sequence set in Afghanistan was filmed in Morocco but ultimately removed before release.

The movie premiered in the United States on April 28, 2006, debuting second at the box office behind RV, though it achieved a marginally superior per-screen average. The end credits' dedication was revised from "America's War on Terror had begun" to a tribute honoring those who perished on September 11.

Universal Pictures encountered requests to pull trailers after some viewers expressed discomfort with the sensitive subject matter; nevertheless, trailers continued to be shown except for one theater in Manhattan that voluntarily discontinued them.

Lewis Alsamari, who portrayed hijacker Saeed al-Ghamdi, reportedly was denied a U.S. visa for the premiere due to previous conscription into the Iraqi military despite holding asylum status in the United Kingdom—though some reports suggest this resulted from a late visa application rather than an outright refusal.

Historical accuracy

For dramatic purposes, the film alters the sequence of certain events, such as showing Jarrah’s final phone call taking place in the airport lounge rather than his hotel room. Additionally, Mohamed Atta’s message stating “we have some planes” is depicted before Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center, although it actually occurred afterwards. Ben Sliney observed that director Greengrass amplified some elements, like controllers using profanity, while in reality most communicated quietly.

The hijacking is portrayed as happening 46 minutes post-takeoff, with Jarrah hesitating and causing frustration among his co-conspirators. The exact target remains uncertain; however, the film illustrates Jarrah affixing a photo of the United States Capitol to the control yoke.

Following the film’s completion, the cockpit voice recorder transcript was made public, revealing discrepancies with some dialogues and scenes shown. For instance, pilots Jason Dahl and LeRoy Homer Jr. are depicted as being killed immediately during the hijacking, based on 9/11 Commission Report accounts of a passenger witnessing two injured individuals outside the cockpit. Nevertheless, Dahl is shown issuing a mayday call, which his wife claimed to recognize by voice. Some cockpit audio suggests both pilots may have survived longer than portrayed.

There is ongoing debate among relatives of passengers and officials about whether passengers breached the cockpit before the crash. The 9/11 Commission concluded that hijackers maintained control but likely believed passengers were moments away from overpowering them. Many family members contend that passengers did manage to enter the cockpit and struggled for control.

Portrayal of Christian Adams

The depiction of German passenger Christian Adams attracted criticism for suggesting he promoted appeasement and was physically restrained by others—behavior not supported by available evidence. Adams’s widow declined to participate with the filmmakers due to emotional distress. Actor Erich Redman explained that his portrayal intended to show Adams as cautious rather than cowardly.

Critical response

United 93 emerged as one of 2006’s most praised films among critics. Reviewers such as James Berardinelli, Roger Ebert, Michael Medved, and Peter Travers awarded it top ratings; Ebert described it as "masterful and heartbreaking," honoring those who lost their lives. The film maintains a strong "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes, receiving commendations for its respectful approach to sensitive material without resorting to Hollywood sensationalism. The A.V. Club included it in its list of "Great Films Too Painful To Watch Twice."

With a Metacritic score of 90, United 93 appeared on 39 critics’ top ten lists—more than any other film released in 2006—and secured the number one spot on 47 lists. Movie City News ranked it as the best film of 2006 based on aggregated critics’ rankings.

Filmmaker John Waters named it among his favorites and showcased it at the 2010 Maryland Film Festival. However, some critique arose regarding narrative decisions and portrayals of heroism, notably from Alex von Tunzelmann of The Guardian, who assigned it a C grade.

Top 10 lists

Only The Departed and The Queen featured on more top ten lists in 2006 than United 93, which received the highest number of first-place mentions.



Joe Morgenstern (The Wall Street Journal) and Steven Rea (Philadelphia Inquirer) also included it in their top ten films of 2006.

Honors and Recognition

United 93 garnered a variety of accolades and nominations from critics and industry organizations. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Film Editing. Additionally, the film received six BAFTA nominations, such as Best British Film, ultimately securing wins for Best Director and Best Film Editing.

Home Media Releases

The DVD version of United 93 was made available on September 5, 2006, offered in both widescreen and full-screen formats, alongside a Special Limited Edition two-disc set in widescreen. Blu-ray editions were later issued in September 2011 and again in June 2012 as part of Universal's 100th Anniversary collection; both Blu-ray releases featured region-free compatibility with identical picture quality and supplementary content.

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External Resources

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