Very Sad and Moving

Rating: 10/10 (1 October 2006)

I saw World Trade Center today. I'm not usually a fan of Oliver Stone's movies but I'm glad I saw this one. I thought it was superb. It is basically a simply-told story about two Port Authority officers, Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin, who go in to the World Trade Center in an attempt to evacuate the buildings, and the terrible ordeal that they and their families go through when the towers collapse.
Anything to do with 9/11 tears me up and this was no exception. The film starts off by showing ordinary New Yorkers on an ordinary day...going to work, on the ferry, riding the subway etc. No one knew what was in store on that terrible day. Then, there is the sound of a plane and a loud explosion, and things would never be the same again...
World Trade Center tells the story entirely from the point of view of Jimeno and McLoughlin and their families. The special effects are outstanding...I really felt as if I was actually there experiencing what they went through. The collapse of the towers is horrific, as is the terrible situation that they find themselves in...trapped in the remains of the towers knowing that they could be killed by falling debris at any moment. The characterisation is excellent...you are able to empathise with the two officers and their families and you feel their absolute despair. By the end I really had come to love them.
The acting in World Trade Center is very good. Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal are all excellent, and Michael Pena was wonderful as Will Jimeno...I really do think that an Oscar nomination could be coming his way. The unobtrusive score by Craig Armstrong was very appropriate also.
World Trade Center is a very sad film...given the subject matter, it couldn't be anything else. I was very tearful at the end and I heard plenty of sniffles in the cinema. It was some small scenes...the lift operator's mother, the empty subway train and the "Missing" posters that got to me. However the film's message is an uplifting one...that even in the worst of times, there is hope, and it emphasises the importance of family and love. Yes, it is often sentimental but never too sappy.
All in all, World Trade Center is a very fine tribute to all members of the rescue services who died or who were injured on 9/11/01. Well done Oliver Stone.