Touching effort, respectful, but as much as it hurts to say it, WTC is melodramatic

Rating: 7/10 (29 August 2007)

Let's be honest, Oliver Stone making a movie about 9/11/2001 was to be expected. He is, after all, one of the most outspoken celebrities in the world when it comes to politics and history. He rarely pulls his punches. This is one of those rare times. Stone puts his political commentary aside to make World Trade Center, a film that respectfully and powerfully tells the story of New York Port Authority Police Officers John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno and their struggle to stay alive after becoming trapped beneath the collapsing towers. The story is also seen through the eyes of each man's family.
Another point that should be realized, whether we admit it or not, prior to viewing this, United 93 (The Oscar nominated theatrical release), and Flight 93 (The TV version), we all had some sort of predisposition about the film, and in this case, its director. Screenwriter Andrea Berloff, Stone, and the actors take the story and tell it with the intention of overpowering the audience with emotion, which is absolutely unnecessary. This is the film's biggest flaw. You have to admire their dedication and approach, but she didn't realize something Paul Greengrass did, which is this. We, the audience, are already running with our emotions high, no matter how we feel, our feelings are already high. No matter what, the reminder of what happened will transport us back to how we felt that day. To put it simple, I felt like I was actually watching the event take place in United 93, while I never mistook WTC for reality (even though the events did happen). Another reason I say this is because of the cast.
Don't get me wrong, Nicolas Cage was brilliant. In fact, it was probably his best since Adaptation. His portrayal of McLoughlin was very real and he shines specifically towards the end...However, no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop thinking "this is Nicolas Cage, and his star power is sort of distracting me from the purpose of the movie". Michael Pena delivers a similar performance to that of his own in Crash...very emotional, likable, and all around good. While our two leading men hold their own, it is two of our supporters who really shine. Jay Hernandez, of 'Hostel' fame, definitely surprised me in limited screen time as he gives us a great character that we get to know even though we see so little of him. His performance makes me wonder what the real Dominick Pezzulo was like. Another great performance is from the often forgotten, but unforgettable Michael Shannon. Shannon's character is a true hero, and I'm glad to know that this man actually exists and that there are people like him. Shannon gives us an impactful and important performance. Now, these are the actors involved with the building perspective of the film, while Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal play the wives of Cage and Pena respectively. I have to say, Bello added a little to the overdramatics, but after thinking of the position her character is in, I have to say that I was wrong and both she and Gyllenhaal deliver winning performances.
Oliver Stone's World Trade Center is a respectful film that does its job of telling us one particular story from 9/11. Stone could not have directed with more restrain than he did, but strangely, it works. There are a few factual errors, like the race of a secondary character being incorrect, but I didn't notice them during the film. Stone doesn't show us the horrifying images of the planes colliding with the buildings, which was a relief. The sets are incredibly real, especially the ruined towers Cage and Pena must deal with for most of the film.
7/10 --spy