Highly Overrated and Too Tame...

Rating: 1/10 (19 August 2006)

I'm surprised by the excellent reviews this movie is getting. It's not a bad movie, but it certainly doesn't merit the steller acclaim. It's not all that well written, directed, shot, or edited. The performances are good, I suppose.
I think people are just afraid to criticize a movie about Septemeber 11th. Bottom line is that this movie is cheesy and pandors to the audience. If Stone still had some balls he would have set the entire movie in the rubble. The movie would have been much better if the first half hour had shown the normal routine of the cops. Show us what life was like on September 10th and then build to the moment. Establish the characters. Don't make us care for them just because they're September 11th cops. That's just annoying because it doesn't show any real writing ability. It's like saying, okay, people will like them even if they don't know who they are.
This movie is far too tame and it's a shame it came out because there can definitely be a better movie that handles the exact same subject matter, but it can't come out without being deemed a copy. It should have been R and there should have been more cursing and more violence to adequately reflect reality. Ultimately, Sept. 11th just isn't great movie material. Like Pearl Harbor, historically tragic events just don't usually work on screen because there is no way to adequately recreate what happened...and the question needs to be asked...why should we recreate it in such a way. The documentary on Sept. 11th is far more powerful and well-executed and captures the day and the feeling of the day much better.