Two survivor and family stories

Rating: 8/10 (23 October 2006)

Oliver Stone's film, World Trade Center, is a story about the rescue of two New York Port Authority cops who get trapped in the rubble after the collapse of towers one and two. Michael Pena, the Latino locksmith from the film Crash, plays Will Jimeno who is trapped with Sergeant John McLoughlin portrayed in a beautifully understated role by Nicholas Cage.
In this carefully based, true story film, Jimeno volunteers to partner with McLoughlin as they enter the WTC to assist in the evacuation. Before they get off the ground floor, Tower One implodes instantly killing most members of their first response team. The two end up wedged between debris with no hope of freeing themselves.
Stone does an exceptional job sticking to the facts without unnecessary play on your emotions. He effectively switches from scenes of the two trapped under the WTC to their families and wives in superb performances by Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal. His masterful directing ability weave timely transitions and laugh-out-loud humor even as you wipe away tears.
This film has great actors who portray the real lives of rescuers, victims, and family. Everyone involved with this film understands the story is about the 18th and 19th of only 20 victims rescued from the WTC wreckage. Jimeno is magnificent as he carries this film with little effort. Cage spends much of the film shown from the neck up yet provides the best performance of his career. Stone leaves all conspiracy theories behind and once again demonstrates what keeps him in a class by himself.
This World Trade Center film is a masterpiece.