Everyone Has Reversals

Story Lessons, Big and Small (Warning: Spoilers!)

April 22, 2007

Lessons from the Incredibly Obvious File #5

Saw United 93 this week, and thought it was intense and powerful. There are lots of great lessons here, though many have to do with the specifics of this particular movie. It's a 9/11 story, we already know what's going to happen (both the tragedy and the heroism), and we also know that a lot of what we're going to see on the plane is going to be invented... the movie is a triumph of restraint in all of those ways. It feels absolutely real, and it doesn't ever cross the line into exploitation.

But I'm going to leave all that. Most of the positive things I would say have to do with the incredibly fine line this movie had to walk to not be gross.


Instead, here's a much more general/useful tidbit to concentrate on: every so often, I see a movie that really makes use of characters doing their jobs. Well. And caring about their work. Before United 93 itself is hijacked, the movie follows countless nameless characters in Air Traffic Control towers in multiple cities, as well as men and women at various levels in NORAD, as they desperately try to figure out how many aircraft have been hijacked and what can be done to prevent more planes-as-bombs.


And it is incredibly moving.


It is powerful to watch people being passionate in their work.


It's the reason Aaron Sorkin has a career.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

that one scene of the air traffic controllers wondering where the plane was, then turning and watching it streak across the sky and hit the building... wow

7:55 p.m.  
Blogger Jennica said...

Agreed, MQ. Took my breath away. I thought it was hard enough seeing it for the first time on TV...

4:35 p.m.  

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