Ever since the twin failures of United 93 and World Trade Center, Hollywood has been leery of tackling the events of September 11, 2001 head on. Most movies follow the example set by Spike Lee's 25th Hour (generally thought to be the finest 9/11-themed feature made yet) and explore the aftermath of 9/11 rather than depicting exactly what occurred on that tragic day. It's a logical approach; after all, experiencing the collapse of the Twin Towers was horrifying enough the first time. Asking audiences to relive it via a simulated recreation -- even one as gripping as the one depicted in Paul Greengrass' United 93 -- is a challenge many moviegoers would understandably rather decline.

Tags: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close