Philmguy Flies United 93

I can't stand the hand-wringing debate over whether "United 93" is crass exploitation at the expense of national tragedy. The "too soon" complainers have no basis for their argument. Not only have the families of the doomed flight backed the film, but the national climate has long since moved past handling 9/11-haunted themes with kid gloves. Besides, it's not as though Bruce Willis is starring in the thing.

For a year or so there after the attacks, it was taboo to make an action film featuring terrorists as villains, or to set thrillers on airplanes. Five years later, America is a land that embraces "Red Eye" and "Flightplan" without so much as a blink, and the Internet community is agog over the silly, self-referential bonanza that "Snakes on a Plane" will hopefully be. The TV flick, "Flight 93," even boasted impressive numbers.

Still, "United 93" has a poor Q-rating, with polls reporting as much of 80 percent of the filmgoing public isn't interested in seeing Paul Greengrass' reenactment drama, due out April 28. You'd think the studio would combat this by screening the hell out of it so the public could hear what a strong, intense and even educational film it is. But alas, there was no show in Tucson, so I had to make the nasty 120-mile trip to Phoenix to see the lone Arizona screening of the flick.

It was worth the voyage, even taking my paper's weak mileage reimbursement rate against skyrocketing gas prices into account. The film zipped by with raw, white-knuckle angst throughout its 105 minutes, paying solemn tribute to passengers on the flight who fought back without descending into crass drama. Just the same as Greengrass' re-enactment drama calling card, "Bloody Sunday," "United 93" has a handheld documentary feel, keeping a rapid pulse on the goings on aboard the flight as well as down on the ground, where air traffic controllers and military scrambled to make sense of the inconceivable attacks.

I do have a gripe or two - some of the orchestral score takes away from the reality, and the ground scenes are repetitive and reek of padding - but that's all redeemed by the portion that takes place on the plane. Greengrass makes you feel as if you're right there with the passengers, cringing in the back as the braver flyers concoct a plan to take out their captors.

Most importantly, the narrative answers some lingering questions about how exactly the flight went down that had always bugged me. As a conspiracy theorist who tends to believe that the flight was shot down by the military, and this was covered up Pat Tillman style in order to promote a cuddly, heroic story, the film gives me a lot to more ponder with its own guess at how things unfolded. "United 93" is therapeutic in putting 9/11 in perspective - and if its possible, a bit of closure - and is definitely worth a look, especially for the squeamish 80 percenters out there.