5 important films based on the 9/11 attacks

As the United States marks the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the world collectively reflects on the tragic events of the uneventful September morning. In the years since, filmmakers and storytellers have captured the impacts of the fateful day on screen, thereby weaving compelling visual narratives.

In this article, we shall list five films that deserve a watch in order to commemorate the terrorist attacks that took over every major media outlet in the 2000s. The enlisted movies depict a first-hand feel of the acts of terrorism, heroism, accountability, and the enduring emotional scars that the event left on countless lives.

---

United 93, and 4 other films that tackle the topic of the 9/11 attacks

1) Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Directed by Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty is a movie that is a gripping portrayal of the decade-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden following the 9/11 attacks. The 2012 film features Jessica Chastain as Maya Harris, a CIA agent whose will of steel and hard work made the raid by Navy SEAL Team Six successful.

While Chastain gained recognition and accolades, including a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Golden Globe for her performance, her character was based on multiple CIA agents who made the mission for America successful.

However, the depiction of torture and the strategic release of the film before the 2012 presidential election was the centre of controversy, thereby inviting backlash.

2) United 93 (2006)

Paul Greengrass's United 93 is a harrowing retelling of the events that unfolded on United Airlines Flight 93 - one out of the four aeroplanes that were hijacked by terrorists and possibly headed towards the U.S. Capitol.

The 2006 docudrama meticulously reconstructs the heroic efforts of the passengers who took back control of the flight but unfortunately crashed into Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in the 9/11 attacks.

Greengrass has been able to piece together the visuals with the flight path, communications from the black box with the air traffic control room, and interviews with the victims' families.

3) The Report (2019)

The 2019 political drama featuring Adam Driver, Annette Bening, and John Hamm takes a different approach to the 9/11 attacks. The redacted text from the film title is telling of the plot as it focuses on the enhanced interrogation techniques that the George W. Bush administration allegedly employed on suspected terrorists.

The Report gives the audience a look into the investigation launched by the Senate Intelligence Committee after the leak of the news of destroyed torture tapes of al-Qaeda operatives. The 6,700-page report gives us a glimpse of the humanitarian crisis that ensued in the land of the free.

4) Worth (2021)

The question of how much a life is worth and its legal recognition is something that this movie revolves around. As close to three thousand lives were lost in the 9/11 tragedy, attorney Kenneth Feinberg visits families of victims to allocate shares of the $7 billion assigned to the Victim Compensation Fund.

Featuring Michael Keaton in the leading role, Stanley Tucci as Charles Wolf, Amy Ryan as Camille Biros, and Tate Donovan as Lee Quinn, Worth showcases the difficult decisions and ethical dilemmas Feinberg faces as he also undergoes an outlook change by the end of the process.

5) Reign Over Me (2007)

Reign Over Me is a poignant drama directed by Mike Binder and featuring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, and the director himself, among others.

Even though the film is not directly influenced by the 9/11 attacks, it paints a picture of the world after the tragedy.

The protagonist Dr. Charlie Fineman loses his family to the attack on the World Trade Center and sets on a path of despair and depression till his friend from dental school, played by Don Cheadle, brings him back to normalcy.

Reign Over Me deals with the long-lasting emotional impact on survivors and their families of the 9/11 attacks.