2006 Hit Thriller Ranked Among Most 'Respectful' Films About 9/11

This September will mark 25 years since the 9/11 terror attacks on the U.S.

Not too long after the devastating events, a film was released that reimagined what transpired inside one of the downed planes from that day. And now, Tuesday, April 28 marks 20 years since United 93 was released in U.S. theaters.

Directed by Paul Greengrass, the riveting thriller was both a critical and commercial success, ultimately receiving two Academy Award nominations at the 2007 ceremony.

Here's the official synopsis of the often hard-to-watch docudrama, which holds an impressive 90% average critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on more than 200 reviews:

"On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists seize control of United Airlines Flight 93 and three other planes. As realization of the imminent horror dawns on passengers, crew and loved ones on the ground, the courageous acts by those held hostage in the air count down in actual time."

The late, great film critic Roger Ebertgave the film four out of four stars, writing: "This is a masterful and heartbreaking film, and it does honor to the memory of the victims... The movie is deeply disturbing, and some people may have to leave the theater. But it would have been much more disturbing if Greengrass had made it in a conventional way. He does not exploit, he draws no conclusions, he points no fingers, he avoids 'human interest' and 'personal dramas' and just simply watches."

There have been other narrative movies made about 9/11, but fans and film analysts over the years have called United 93 one of the best and most respectful of the bunch. When the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on it at the time, for instance, its headline read, "United 93 a grueling but respectful study of doomed flight."

More recently, a Redditor posted that the action thriller was "one of the hardest movies I've ever watched in recent years." And looking ahead, other media surrounding the fateful day will certainly be revisited as well this coming September.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 12:21 PM.