“United 93,” which opened on Friday, is an absolutely shocking, gut-wrenching and extraordinary account of just one of the many tragedies that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.Written and directed by Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Supremecy”), “United 93” tells the story of the final airliner to be hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001. The hijackers intended to crash the flight into the White House, but the courageous passengers managed to overpower their abductors and crashed the plane in a field in Shanksville, Pa. Sadly, all of the heroic passengers of Flight 93 died in the crash.

“United 93” is truly one of the best movies I have ever seen, but simultaneously incredibly difficult to watch. The story follows a large number of people, from officials at the F.A.A., to air traffic controllers, to the passengers of the plane and the terrorists who hijacked it. The camera work is very shaky and gives the viewers the feeling that they are taking part in the action on the screen. Before I saw “United 93,” I was quite frankly disgusted with the idea of a 9/11 movie. It hasn’t even been five years since the tragic events took place and already Hollywood is capitalizing on the deaths of thousands of people. I knew Hollywood was low, but even for them, this seemed low at best. But, I was honestly surprised at how emotional and un-Hollywood “United 93” was. The first thing that really won me over to the movie was the fact that the families of the victims of United Flight 93 completely supported this movie. One of the truly wonderful things about this movie was the fact that the cast is comprised entirely of unknown actors, allowing the viewer to really pay attention to the film without being distracted by a famous actor. It also makes the characters fresh in the viewer’s mind. The emotions communicated in “United 93” are truly intense. From the first shot to the end credits, there isn’t a single moment that isn’t wrought with anxiety. The performances of every single actor, from those performing the smallest role to the lead characters, are absolutely stunning. The power of their performances is unprecedented in today’s cinema.