Twin Towers
Twin Towers
NR | 06 January 2003 (USA)
Twin Towers Trailers

Winner of the 2002 Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject, this film chronicles the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Towers. Filmmakers Bill Guttentag and Robert David Port joined Harlem police as they arrived at the chaotic scene after jet airplanes had struck the two buildings. The film captures the harrowing reality of the attacks as the officers cope with disbelief and fear while remaining focused on saving lives.

Reviews
Kailansorac

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

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Whitech

It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

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Invaderbank

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

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Bob

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)

"Twin Towers" is an American documentary film and with a runtime of only 34 minutes, it is a relatively short one. It was directed by Bill Guttentag and Robert David Port, who won an Oscar for their work here. For Guttentag, it was already his second win and he has more nominations, but it has also been his final appearance at the Oscars so far with the nomination here. This is the story of two brothers, police man and fire fighter, who both died at the terror attacks back in 2001. The film tries to focus on the work of these good people who helped in saving many lives after the attacks and many of them paid their efforts with their own lives, like the two men in here. Sadly, the emotional component is not working all the time. Instead the film loses itself in blatantly cringeworthy statements like "I lost 14 of my best friends" and this is where the overall emotional impact is really hurt and I find it difficult to appreciate this movie. I myself would definitely not have nominated it for an Oscar, let alone given it the awards, but two years after the attacks, it's not really that big of a surprise as America was still shaken to its core at that point. In terms of informative value, it's also underwhelming. Overall, not a good work. Thumbs down.

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kvigiano

Well first I'd like to thank Rob Port and Bill Guttentag for completing this film. You don't know how proud it makes my kids.I just wanted to comment on the first review. I'm glad you liked the film but as you pointed out there we're three brothers and one survived, There was just two brothers. Joe and John. You hear Joe's voice on the film because he along with his Unit was being filmed for some new show or something about specialized NYPD units Joe his brother, along with Mike Curtin who is in the film and a total of 23 NYPD cops were killed before the filming was completed. Anyway I think they did a great job with this film, I just wish it could have been shown on TV. Kathy (Joes wife)

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Michael DeZubiria

I have seen several films and documentaries based on the 9/11 attacks, but none that really showed the gritty New York firefighters and other emergency responders quite as clearly and effectively as this one. The film focuses on one of the countless tragic stories that occurred that day, this one of a family of dedicated firefighters that lost two of three sons in a matter of minutes as they rushed to help at Ground Zero. The one surviving son, Joseph Vigiano, talks in the film about growing up with two brothers who eventually became heroes, even more than they already were before they were killed.I think that the single most important thing to do to make movies and documentaries about 9/11 great - all of them - is to keep the politics out, at all costs, and this film definitely does that. It is not at all about the mistakes that were made or warnings that were ignored or phones that weren't answered or jets that weren't sent, but was only about the importance of family. United 93 came about as close to politics as I think 9/11 films can come without becoming preachy or assigning guilt, but only because it deals with the actual events, and our minds tend to have by now become so programmed to translate whatever we hear about 9/11 into a stratification of blame that we can watch an objective presentation of the events and see the blame without it even being there.Joseph Vigiano says in this film that no matter what, he always kisses his family when he leaves and says goodbye because he never knows when he might not come home. And the important message that this film delivers to men and women and families everywhere is the feeling that, no matter what job Joseph had, his goodbyes would never change. The film is an answer to the mournful cry, "I never got to say goodbye."

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mnishimoto

This video was presented in a room of 100 first responders on Maui, mostly police with some Fire & Rescue and Health Department staff, as part of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Workshop. After the movie was done, the moderator ended the first day of the workshop with a "See you all tomorrow at 8:30 sharp." No one said a word as they left. The movie humbled the entire audience and left a mark with all on the battle against terrorists.The video images reminded everyone of the potential that they themselves could be in a similar situation as the 9/11 event. The Vigiano family went through what none of us would ever want to experience. If you want to knock the chip of someone's shoulder or shake a person up who is feeling sorry for themselves, have them watch this movie.

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