Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41049 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-06-26
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 86 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Three months before the much-publicized theatrical release of United 93, the same true-life tragedy was faithfully dramatized in Flight 93, an equally praiseworthy TV movie that was originally broadcast on the A&E network in the US on January 30, 2006. The fourth plane to be hijacked on September 11th, 2001--and the only plane that didn't reach its intended terrorist target--is the riveting subject of this film, which unfolds in real-time (similar but not identical to United 93), beginning with the terrorists' preparations and boarding of the ill-fated flight. We then follow the notorious events as they unfold, and from that moment on, it's nearly impossible to take your eyes off the screen. The intense drama focuses on the passengers who ultimately thwarted the terrorists--they include Tom Burnett (Jeffrey Nordling), Todd Beamer (Brennan Elliot), and Mark Bingham (Ty Olsson)--but as their counter-attack plans are being made, the action also reveals the chaotic nature of the ground response, from the White House bunker (where Vice President Cheney was moved for security) to Offices of the Federal Aviation Agency, Verizon headquarters (where in-flight calls were monitored), and United Airlines flight control, where pilots and terrorists alike could be heard throughout the terrible ordeal of the hijacking.

To his credit, director Peter Markle steers clear from any sense of exploitation (it helps that there was a five-year gap between the 9/11 tragedy and this respectable film); furthermore, both Markle and screenwriter Nevin Schreiner avoid the pitfalls of melodrama by keeping the action rooted in the facts as we know them. Speculation is necessary for some of the dramatic details, but Flight 93 benefits from a well-chosen cast of unknowns, which enhances our belief in them as ordinary citizens under extraordinary circumstances. As you might expect, several scenes are inherently unforgettable (up to and including the now heroic phrase "Let's roll!" as the counter-attack begins), and the authentically played emotions are further intensified by realistic special effects by Gary Gutierrez, who performed similarly laudable duties on The Right Stuff 23 years earlier, at the start of his visual effects career. Produced with the cooperation of surviving family members of those who perished on Flight 93, this well-made TV film handles difficult material with grace under pressure, and that alone serves as an admirable tribute to those brave passengers who gave their lives so that others could be saved. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Based on the now-notorious events of September 11, 2001, FLIGHT 93 tells the harrowing true story of United Airlines Flight 93 and the moments leading up to its crash. Shot in real time, the film shows how terrorists managed to commandeer the cockpit with the intention of turning a routine flight into a suicide mission. As the petrified passengers plan to fight back, the US military scrambles into action in a frantic bid to save the plane from the inevitable. On the surface, there isn’t a great deal to distinguish this film from Paul Greengrass' UNITED 93, which deals with the same subject matter. Both films make for uneasy viewing for obvious reasons, but the low-budget FLIGHT 93 is gripping in its own right.

Customer Reviews

A Piece Of History...
The DVD was extremely moving in general. The opening menu gives a sober, almost reverent impression. It brought back a lot of memories and feelings I had on that day. My perceptions were similar on the day Flight 93 actually flew for the last time. The movie's storyline is limited to the knowledge we had on September 11, 2001. Frankly the only violence in the movie comes when the terrorists take over the plane and when the passengers take it back. The rest is sheer suspense while the passengers have some tear jerking conversations with their loved ones.

This is just as good as the movie "United 93" {but made for TV}, again using not well known actors, very moving very dramatic.
A view of a slice of history that we should NOT FORGET!

Very moving
There was a little confusion when I bought this film. I thought it was the quick release of United 93 from cinema to DVD.

Anyhow, I realise now that this was a TV Movie and that United 93 will be later released.

Setting the above aside, I thought Flight 93 brought home what the people of America felt during the attacks.

This film is well written, directed and acted piece of reconstructed history.

I see the film as a celebration of those who were brave during the ill-fated flight as they faced their fears and sacrificed their lives to save others.

Harrowing
9/11 is a date that needs no explaining to anyone old enough to understand what was going on that day. Four planes were hijacked on the East Coast of the USA and with those hijackings thousands of lives were lost and millions more lives changed forever. In the weeks and months after 9/11 details began to emerge of the heroes of 9/11. Fourty-four of those heroes were on United Flight 93 and this film is their story.

Apart from the news reports the only other sound in my living room on the evening of 9/11 was of me pulling another tissue from the box. That was a sound that was repeated while watching Flight 93. This is a story that had to be told but watching it was like being back on that fateful day, reliving the horror all over again.

The passengers on board United Flight 93 watched in horror as their plane was hijacked. Several passengers phoned their loved ones to tell then what was happening only to hear that there were other hijackings happening along the East Coast and those planes were being slammed into buildings. Determined not to go down without a fight the passengers decided to try to take back control of the plane.

It was harrowing to watch the passengers of United 93 talking to their loved ones and saying goodbye. Tears streamed down my face as my heart broke for the courage those people showed in a time of such horror.

This was a wonderful dedication to the courage of the passengers aboard Flight 93 and one which should be watched by everyone to remind us of what real heroes look like.