| Universal
Movie •••½ Picture/Sound •••• Extras •••½ |
The only thing more heartbreaking than watching United 93's admirably straightforward, real-time depiction of one part of the 9/11 story is seeing the included documentary The Families and the Film. Over the course of its 50 minutes, the pain of the passengers' loved ones is palpable as they grapple with the very idea of the movie and meet the actors hired to play all those who were lost. Director Paul Greengrass's commentary is similarly focused on the sensitivity of the film's subject and its respect for the families.
Picture and sound are consistently good, if always reflective of the film's measured approach. That almost all of the movie takes place on the plane or in cramped air-traffic-control rooms also limits the possibility of visual fireworks, but resolution and detail are top-notch, and colors are appropriately muted.
The sound supports the most intense scenes with ample surround-channnel effects, but it never overwhelms or distracts. [R] English, French, and Spanish, Dolby Digital 5.1; letterboxed (2.35:1) and anamorphic widescreen; dual layer.
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