The Year's Best Movie?

So I finally saw United 93. Like a lot of people, I let it pass me by when it was released this past spring. Despite its excellent reviews and high praise, I just had no desire to see it. Too depressing, I told myself. Wait until DVD. Well, I waited. And then the awards started piling up a few weeks ago. I can see why.

Is it the best movie of 2006? Maybe. Will it win the top Oscar? Hard to say at this point, although I’m hoping that it does. Then more people, like yours truly who put it off for the lamest of reasons, will be more likely to see it.

I’ll leave it to a few of the big guns like Kenneth Turan to discuss its merits. I’ll simply say here that I have never experienced anything quite like it. In less than two hours director Paul Greengrass and company remind us just how powerful movies still can be. It was hard to watch but even harder not to watch. And the last fifteen minutes just about tore my heart out. I cannot stop thinking about it.