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3. United 93
You'll know this as the film about the 4th hijacked 9/11 plane. I've sometimes wondered what the point of this film is. But then, if you start thinking that, then you start wondering what the point of any film is. So I (with a bit of help from Lord Reith) came up with three things that a film might be expected to achieve if it is to be deemed a success: to entertain, to inform, or to express an abstract concept. That sounds reasonable enough, don't you think? Now, United 93 is clearly not about entertainment. It doesn't lightly amuse. Rather, it grips you round the neck and squeezes until you make a wee snorting noise from your nose. Of course, it would be repulsive if a film with this subject matter sought to entertain. Ok, so no entertainment. What about informing, then? It looks like the kind of film that is supposed to inform, what with it's documentary stylings and dead-eyed clarity. But then, it's a story that everyone knows, and surely if your aim is to inform, then you should be telling a hitherto unknown story? To bring attention to something at least slightly obscure. So it can't be that then. So, we're left with my 'expression of abstract concepts' mumbo jumbo. Ah, maybe that's it then. It reproduces the horror of the situation in a clear and rational way, and as a result showcases the extraordinary bravery of the people on the plane. These guys are proper, honest to god heroes, and their representation here is an expression of the potential depths of human valour. Is that justification enough?