straight telling of smaller 9/11 story

Rating: 6/10 (31 May 2016)

It's a normal New York morning on September 11, 2001. When a plane flies into Tower One, Sgt John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) leads a group of Port Authority cops. There are conflicting reports on Tower Two. As they prepare to go up to Tower One, Tower Two collapse around them. Will Jimeno (Michael Peña), Dominick Pezzulo (Jay Hernandez), and McLoughlin manage to escape into the elevator shaft.
It's got some compelling iconic 9/11 moments although Oliver Stone doesn't actually show the planes crashing into the buildings. He's staying mainly close to these characters. He does a straight telling. He's not doing anything too risky. It is a bit long and the tension doesn't stay high. Maybe Stone is scared to short-change anybody and that would be understandable. There are small sections of high tension but it doesn't last the whole movie.