to help others.I am so glad I went to see this! It is a powerful work of film that tells the story without sensationalizing the event and the anger and hatred for the attackers following the attacks. It's a film of last words and feelings we tend to develop after years in a relationship. There are tears of joy, laughs, and tears of sorrow interlaced throughout this film with Strong acting from a huge cast including Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena.Totally recommend this film although it may certainly be tough for those that lost loved ones in the buildings.

PLATOON; JFK, etc. , has sought to focus on the true meaning of heroism by focusing in on Port Authority officers John McLoughlin and William Jimeno, who, along with their fellow Port Authority and NYC fire and police personnel, went into the World Trade Center towers to evacuate as many people as possible from there after the two jets were rammed into the buildings. The two men, however, nearly became a part of history right then and there when the towers crumbled. For twenty hours, both men were trapped under twenty thousand tons of steel and concrete, some twenty feet deep. They were the only Port Authority personnel who survived the destruction of the towers, and among only twenty people in all who got out in the end. Nearly 2,700 others weren't as lucky in the WTC puzzle of 9/11.McLoughlin and Jimeno are portrayed superbly in WORLD TRADE CENTER by Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena, who accurately depict the professional blue-collar ethic of the Big Apple's finest and bravest. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello, respectively, portray Donna McLoughlin and Allison Jimeno, their wives who were on edge during the entire time of this apocalyptic crisis, wondering whether their husbands were going to make it out of there. Their stories, though individual, serve as a microcosm for the thousands of others there that day, both the dead and the survivors. This last point is something that Stone makes very clear: the kind of humanity in the face of so much inhumanity that day. It is something that has gotten lost in the intervening five years, in which opportunistic politicians have used 9/11 as a weapon to whip up false patriotism, scare tactics, and a bloody war in Iraq that had absolutely nothing to do with the attacks on America. Stone, however, stays away from the kind of political critique that was a hallmark of JFK and several of his other films, and shows us the kind of true heroism that the far-right has often accused Hollywood of deliberately avoiding, but which they themselves couldn't possibly manufacture even on their best day.Along with FLIGHT 93 and UNITED 93, WORLD TRADE CENTER proves that Hollywood is ready to respond with a clear, realistic, and human look at one of this nation's darkest days. So too is the American public, and the world at large. The question now is: Are our politicians willing to do so without resorting to name-calling, pointless propaganda, and macho warmongering? That in and of itself will tell us a lot, and WORLD TRADE CENTER should add to the pressure to force that issue.

must thank Oliver Stone, he didn't reenact or computerize the planes crashing into the towers, this movie just focused mainly on the policemen and firemen who gave their lives that day and to two strong and brave policemen who ended up in the most brutal and hellish nightmare, being trapped and buried alive under tons and tons of what was a 110 story building. Their struggle was so brutal to watch, but it kept your hopes and strength alive. 95% of the world only witnessed what happened on the outside, finally, this movie showed us what it was like to be in New York and what the firemen and policemen went through, along with their families.I have to say that it was so mentally disturbing though to see the towers in the beginning of the film, I actually started sobbing, because it's still to this day unbelievable that they're just not there. But still, it was pictured perfectly and beautifully done, I loved that they showed how much of a normal day it was for all of us before the plane hit the first tower.It's a beautifully acted and hopeful film that will make you remember that that day not only showed the worst evil in people, but it brought out some of the best and heroic acts anyone has ever witnessed. RIP to those 2800 people who lost their lives that day, you will never be forgotten. And on a special note, thank you to the firemen and policemen who fought, survived, and died on that tragic day, you may have done your job, but it was the most heroic thing anyone could have done, they saved more lives than we realized. Let's not forget.10/10

members as they race downtown. But what's most striking is how little the men know about what's really happening. As the officers prepare to the climb the North Tower, they are unaware the South Tower has even been hit. Communications gear is failing, and there is confusion all around.Through impeccably detailed sets and flawless special effects, director Oliver Stone and his film-making team recreate these hectic moments in all-too-realistic detail. You're right there, on the street, looking up and watching the chaos unfold in 35mm and THX surround sound. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Stone had a crew shooting in Lower Manhattan that day. You have to struggle to remind yourself everything you're seeing was recreated on a sound stage on inside a computer.Screenwriter Andrea Berloff further enhances the realism with believable dialog. She not only effectively captures the "cop talk" half the time, there's so much lingo being bantered back and forth, you don't understand what the heck the characters are saying -- as it should be , she also delivers a truth and honesty to the conversations and interactions. The words never feel contrived.The quality cast does the script justice. It's remarkable how well Cage, a major movie star, disappears behind the mustache and hunched shoulders of Sgt. John McLoughlin. Pena last seen as the locksmith in "Crash" is instantly likable as Ofc. Jimeno. Their performances are even more noteworthy considering they spend the majority of the movie flat on their backs. They are also well supported by Maria Bello and Magie Gyllenhaal as their respective wives, who spend much of the film enduring an agonizing wait to learn the fate of their husbands.Stone's storytelling is also more methodical and straightforward than it's been in recent years. He mercifully ditches the frenetic editing style he's employed in films like Natural Born Killers and Any Given Sunday.***Not Political***When one hears that Oliver Stone, director of such politically charged films as JFK and Born on the Fourth Of July, is making a movie about 9/11, your first tendency is to say, "uh oh." But this may be the least political movie Stone has ever made, one both red states and blue states can agree on. It's not about the roots of terror, or who's to blame for what. It's not about villains. It's about heroes. Though set during one of America's darkest hours, it tells a life-affirming story of courage, love and the strength people can summon inside. The movie reminds us how we all felt that day, how we all came together. Some say it is too soon for a movie like this. But as our nation sits so sharply divided, it's not a minute too soon to remember the unity of purpose we all had on 9/11 and ponder whether we can ever get it back.

intimate story about a group of Rescue Workers caught up in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers and their battle to survive/escape an unimaginable hell.The film works because Stone takes the time to flush out his characters; we genuinely care about these people and feel their emotions as things turned from bad to worse that day. Cage, Bello, Pena, et.al. play their roles effectively, making us aware that 9-11 affected "ordinary people" and caused them to perform in an extraordinary way.All in all, an excellent film. While it is big-budgeted and full of big names, it simply tells one of MANY stories to be told on that day effectively and faithfully. As with United 93, I would recommend bringing Kleenex.

Center, Mr. Stone left his conspiracy soapbox at home, and presented another film about 9/11 in the same vein as that earlier film. It doesn't present anyone as a hero--just a bunch of ordinary people caught up in one of the worst losses of life in our nation's history. However, by the end of the film, you learn that there is a hero in all people, and that when called upon by circumstances, everyday people can become truer superheroes than any comic book character ever was. I highly recommend this film to everyone, though its more graphic sequences may be unsuitable for younger viewers under 13 . In fact, I think both this and United 93 should be required viewing for anyone who wants to understand why this--like Pearl Harbor for my grandparents and JFK's assassination for my parents--is the day my generation will remember exactly where each one of them was when it happened. For those who died, we can not--should not--ever forget.

movie even though it is was a time of crisis and horror surrounding the situation. The horror of that day does exist in the movie, however it isn't overplayed or too dramatic to watch.... Also, that is not the main part of the movie. The movie is based on the lives to two of the trapped survivors as they tell/recall what happened to them on that day.The audience sat in awe watching the movie... nobody ever got up to leave their seats... and everyone was amazed at the end of how well the story was told. I've never seen the Theatre so crowded on a weeknight almost at capacity ... and it was being shown on multiple screens at a big theater.I do recommend all American's see this movie... as it pays tribute to the heroes and shows some of the good that came from the tragedy.

They will hum the theme from Startsky and Hutch to keep themselves alive. I wonder what pseudo intellectual would have done.The film is a gripping depiction centered mostly on two men and their families. The event caused a catastrophe that is still growing, based mostly in personal interest and massive inter cultural ignorance. The film is not about that. The film is about the tiniest enormity of the domestic drama. I wept and longed for a private happy ending. The rest, well the rest is still part of our daily existence. Most of the detractors accuse World Trade Center of not being an Oliver Stone film, if he had done a classic Oliver Stone film he would have been accused of that. Stone will be controversial even for standing still. My hat to you Mr Stone, please keep going your own way.

'93 attack and helped create evacuation strategies. This situation, however, catches him off guard. No one anticipated a disaster originating on the upper levels of the towers. William Jimeno Michael Pena is the rookie cop who volunteers to jump into the fray when many of his fellow cops hesitate.The movie also tells the story of the cops' wives who anxiously wait for word on their husbands. The consistently excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal does an excellent job as the pregnant wife of rookie Jimeno. If the Fall doesn't produce many best actress contenders, Gyllenhaal could net a nomination. Mario Bello also turns in a fine performance as Mrs. McLoughlin struggling to keep her family calm and trying not to believe the worst.The movie, though, is not a triumph as I was hoping. Our two main characters spend much of the movie inert and these scenes, unfortunately, become a little tedious. Maybe it's because I knew of the ultimate outcome of the story--it's based on actual accounts--that these moments became tiresome for me. After the harrowing arrival at the disaster site and the horrifying, but amazingly filmed destruction of the towers, the cops' experience slowly becomes less compelling.Much has been made about the fact that Oliver Stone has made a largely apolitical film. But pay attention to the character of Marine Dave Karnes. This guy's a wild card and seems, at points, to be clashing with the film's ultimately uplifting message.