Oliver Stone's World Trade Center is fine tribute of two survivors from that day

Rating: 8/10 (11 September 2007)

On this, the sixth anniversary of the day the Twin Towers got attacked, I bought and watched World Trade Center in order to put me in tribute mode. This Oliver Stone film tells the story of Officer Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) and Sergeant John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and their survival under layers of rubble for hours after the bombing. Almost as compelling as Pena and Cage are Maggie Gyllenhaal and Mario Bello as their wives as they go through various emotions (though, surprisingly, very few confrontational ones) as they wait for news of their spouses' fate. While there's some flashbacks and dream sequences (like the Jesus one concerning Jimeno), this is mostly straightforward storytelling that's a bit unusual for Stone in that his point-of-view here is less obvious than you'd expect from him. While not a great film, World Trade Center certainly still has both touching and intense moments that make this essential viewing for anyone wanting to see an optimistic view of an event that could have made pessimists of both protagonists had things took a turn for the worst. Excellent jobs for everyone involved! Update 9/12/08: Having just survived a tree falling on the roof of my parents' house during Hurricane Gustav, I now think those men that survived being stuck under debris for hours during 9/11 deserve nothing but all the praise they've gotten and more. I now revoke much of my next-to-last statement.