Trying to keep up with Netflix’s library can be difficult, especially with the sheer number of new series, movies, and other content added to the platform every week. It’s always worth seeking out classic film additions, though, especially as they often don’t remain on the service for a long time. To this end, we’d recommend watching one of Netflix’s newest arrivals, the acclaimed 2006 Paul Greengrass-directed docudrama United 93, which was just added today.
Often considered one of the best movies of the 2000s, United 93 focuses on the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 during 9/11. Greengrass, who has long brought a vérité sensibility to his work, including in the Jason Bourne franchise, attempts to capture the immediacy of the hijack and the passengers’ responses. Released five years after the events of September 11th, United 93 was a commercial success at the box office, and also garnered two Oscar nominations.
If you haven’t yet seen United 93, it’s recommended for the ways that Greengrass brings to life a diverse cast of characters, as well as their struggle against the terrorists and the unfolding events in New York City and Washington. The movie builds towards the tragic climax of the flight, as the passengers overwhelm their attackers and the plane crashes without reaching its intended target. With a cast of mostly unknown actors, United 93 was one of the first major productions to tackle 9/11, and despite some later debate over its historical details, it remains an important piece of cinema.
Greengrass went on to make more films about other real-life events, too, including Captain Phillips and 22 July, and is also at work on adaptations of News of the World and 1984. If United 93 doesn’t appeal to you at the moment though, then there are plenty of other recent options to take in on Netflix, including one of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century, a host of Stephen King adaptations, and a large contingent of other films and series to keep yourself busy during the ongoing lockdown.
