So much average

A Masterpiece!

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Oliver Stone's 2006 film, 'World Trade Center' follows the close biographical survival story of two Port Authority policemen, John McLouglin (Nicholas Cage) & William Jimeno (Michael Pena), whom became trapped under the rumble of the once-World Trade Center, after the skyscraper collapse, during the events of the 9/11 Terrorist Attack on New York City. Without spoiling the movie, too much, although, it's been 5 years since the tragic event, when this movie was made. I still think, films like this, were greenlight, a little too soon. After all, there was still an empty lot in Ground Zero, where WTC once stood; haven't yet, been replace by One World Trade Center that open in 2014. Another thing, although, producers of the film met with all relevant September 11 victims groups before production began to inform them of the intention of the film. New York City absolutely prohibited any filmmaking of any kind about Sept. 11 in the Big Apple besides the New York Port Authority Building, not wanting any recreation of destruction or chaos to be display for the public. The filmmakers were not even allowed to film actors looking upward toward where the towers would be. Instead, those shots were created in sound stages in Los Angeles, using limited CGI or badly intercut, archive stock footage. Hints, why some of the buildings that they use as a city background look a little too small in height, and far apart for an ideal depiction of NYC. Sadly, even some real-life characters had to be fictional, due to family members, not wanting their demise love-ones names, to be portray in a bad light. It really hurts, historic accuracy and somewhat confused others, such was the circumstance of supporting characters, like Marine Sgt. Dave Karnes (Michael Shannon) whom some viewers saw as fiction. In this case, he was really real, much like the other Marine Sgt. Jason Thomas (William Mapother), whom happens to be African-American, in real-life. Meanwhile, there were also plenty of examples of characters deaths, being omitted due to demands of love-ones, not wanting it; which in return, make the portrayal of some characters, unfinished. It even made some characters seem like they took their own life. Its warning sides like this that shows, that the wounds of that day, have not yet healed in NYC. Already, the idea of Hollywood profiting off, a tragic event for studio gain, was a little inky & not cool. It didn't help that the money earn from this film, was not given to, many charities of the victims, involves in this recreated storytelling. Sadly, I don't think, that was the case, with this movie. Still, regardless of that, I found Oliver Stone to be respectful enough to the real-life story, not to delve too much into misguided conspiracy theories like he did with 1991's 'JFK'. Although, it does depict a few events that blatantly contradict official explanations of what happen in real-life, such as the film's showing of TV footage of the precipitous collapse of WTC 7 and the attack on Israel. However, I'm willing to let that past, due to the fact that confusion was very rampant, that day. Glad, there was little-to-no political themes. At least, not until his later film, 2008's 'W.'. Another thing that I found alright about this movie, is the acting. While, I wouldn't say, this is Cage's best role, but it's far from his worst. Cage is fine, here. He honestly tries his best, by focusing on accurately speaking with a New York accent. And to also capture the fear and claustrophobia of McLoughlin's ordeal, Cage spent hours in a sensory-deprivation tank. So mad props to him for that, even if Michael Pena still out-acted him, in this film. Pena really look like he was in the brick of death, with his pale face of fear and pain, even with his face, cover in mostly darkness, during the second & third act. That's how amazing, he was. Given that, I have to say, the supporting cast was equally as good, but if I have to nitpick, I felt that the filmmakers didn't give female actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello as the two-police officers' wives, Allison Jimeno & Donna McLoughlin, much to work with. Overall: While, not as good as other buried alive trapped films like director, Danny Boyle's 2010's film '127 Hours', which had better pacing, editing, and music. Given the epic intense violence of the Towers' falls and the thoroughness of destruction evident at Ground Zero, it was still interesting enough to watch a movie about people trying to survive during its aftermath, even if it's super pitch dark & hard to see. Much like director Paul Greengrass movie, 'United 93' about United Airlines Flight 93 — which crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers apparently tried to overpower the terrorist hijackers, also released in 2007, the movie will also be very subjective and hard to watch for some, emotionally. Nevertheless, at least, 2006's 'World Trade Center' is more accuracy, watchable & respectful, than more recent films about 9/11, like director, Martin Guigui's film '9/11'. Check 'World Trade Center' in its place of that crap. That's for sure, but if you have a choice. See 'United 93'. Now, that's a powerful movie.

Many good critical points have already been made about this film, but I'll just add that some historical events are better portrayed through documentaries and viewing real time news footage other than a Hollywood script. This movie is an example of that.

On September 11th Port Authority police officers John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno are sent to the WTC when the first plane crashes. As they try to evacuate people, the Towers collapse and McLoughlin and Jimeno are trapped in the debris whilst their fellow officers are killed instantly or die soon after.I expected World Trade Center to be a rescue film as heroic policemen or more accurately Nicolas Cage goes and try to rescue people from the rubble. Not that they themselves are trapped in the rubble with most of the film taking place in the dark as the rest of the film deals in emotional turmoil of their families cross cutting with the trapped policemen in peril with salvation arriving in the form of a religious, zany and rather on the edge Marine who speaks in slogans. We are told at the end of the film that the marine later did two tours of duty in Iraq (a country which by the way had nothing to do with 9/11 but I am sure the way the character is presented in this film gleefully took vengeance on the Iraqi people!)The films is based on a true story and not a tale I knew about as I came to this film with little knowledge of the plot. Oliver Stone is more restrained in his directing style (keep the camera moving is his motto!) and the film does present challenges for Stone.This ranges from his left wing views that is tempered here, to being respectful to the 9/11 events and this true story of the rescue but also the technical challenge of re-enacting the disaster. Obviously they have created a CGI Twin Towers in the establishing shots of New York and then used archive footage of the aftermath of the incident and the Towers with the plot of the film although not successfully integrated.The film conveys the confusion that occurred on that day but pacing is a problem especially when the police team are literally walking to the disaster area and of course when they are later trapped it is then just two guys talking to keep each other going which of course makes the story drag but its also devoid of tension.

Nicolas Cage stars in the unforgettable true story of the courageous rescue and survival of two Port Authority policemen who were trapped in the rubble on September 11, 2001 after they volunteered to go in and help in this drama,World Trade Center.It also features Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon.Director Oliver Stone once again is at helm in a film that offers a powerful and provocative story based on the real events that involves John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno, both of whom cooperated with producers. Sergeant John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno were two officers assigned to New York City's Port Authority who were working their beats on a quiet day in early fall when they received an emergency call. The day was September 11, 2001, and they were among the policemen who attempted to evacuate the World Trade Center towers after they were struck by airliners piloted by terrorists. Both were inside the fifth building of the World Trade Center when the towers fell, and were two of the last people found alive amidst the wreckage. As they struggled to hold on to their lives as rescuers sifted through the rubble, their spouses -- Donna McLoughlin and Allison Jimeno clung to the desperate hope that their husbands would survive and be found. As the both their families waited for word on the fate of the two men, they watched as a city and a nation came together with strength and compassion in the face of a tragedy.As a visually stunning tribute to lives lost in tragedy, World Trade Center succeeds unequivocally, and it is more politically muted than many of Stone's other works as the director concentrated on one of the catastrophe's stories and has fashioned it well with almost palpable physical detail, and with performances that never sink to exploitation. Granted, it's only the film's historical context that distinguishes it from any other dramatic rescue story, but in focusing on the goodness of humanity in response to the evil of terrorists who remain unnamed and off-screen, the film creates an emotional context as powerful as anything Stone has done since Platoon. Even as he resorts to some questionable tactics typically lacking in subtlety, Stone refrains from much of the blunt-force film-making that has made him a critical punching bag, rising to this challenging occasion with a heartfelt and deeply American portrait of unity whether personal, familial, and national. Flaws and all, World Trade Center serves an honorable purpose, reminding us all that for those fleeting days in September 2001, America showed its best face to a sympathetic world.