oliver tones it down centre

Rating: 7/10 (15 August 2006)

well; maybe Mr stone feels somewhat humbled by his big budget mess, Alexander, but here we have a toned down (for Mr stone) made for TV film about the WORLD TRADE CENTRE on that fateful day on sept 11. this film appears to be receiving very good reviews, and i admit that it's hard to criticize this film, because of it's fine production values and technical work.the cinematography, the sounds and sound editing were very good. for me, the performances by the women, two of my favorite actors, Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal, is what made this film bearable. it was great seeing Patty d'Arbanville again too, although she had precious little to do in the show. we have seen this before; the women, waiting, hoping, anguished, to hear anything about their loved ones and their men....it is done superbly here, and very much what it must have been like for everyone; not really sure about what was happening; what to do or what to think. this aspect of the film was crafted and performed very well. Nicolas Cage was amazingly believable and subdued. but then, when you are trapped below a ton of rubble and can barely speak, this seems logical. it was great seeing Michael Pena, from CRASH again too. but ultimately, i found this film claustrophobic (albeit much less so than the officers caught below!)dull, and one-toned. except for the vision Pena sees of a Christ figure with a bottle of water, this film seemed like a well-done Sunday made for television effort. i wouldn't pay to see this again, although perhaps it will translate better on the small screen. i give oliver credit for doing his homework and bringing this film down to a microcosm and story of two courageous survivors and their families. it was also tasteful that he didn't graphically show us what the world saw again and again on that day. the film did a fair job of recreating what it must have been like for the police and the fire-fighters, and the hawk marine, at ground zero, through their eyes, which were full of horror, sorrow,and disbelief. having said that, i wouldn't recommend that anyone rush to this film. it seemed by the numbers, regardless of how well it was done. i would rather have seen an oliver stone film about such a controversial and pivotal event in global politics with the flair that is oliver stone. i would say, put Alexander away and sock it to us. was this film "controversial"? no way. But, that can be a good thing sometimes. *ok. i watched it again on DVD and liked it better the second time...