I went into this film without expectations. I saw Flight 93 and enjoyed it and I am very interested in all events surrounding September 11th, so this film appealed to me. Now, I must say that I am not an Oliver Stone fan, however, upon hearing this movie was nothing like an Oliver Stone film I decided to check it out.

The storyline for the film, as stated, was based on the stories of a few Port Authority police who survived the collapse of the building while being trapped for hours in the rubble. At the beginning we are introduced to each of the characters and their families. It's enough to get us involved with each of them but leaves enough room to elaborate as the film unfolds. The film moves rather nicely without going too fast or slow. The vast amount of the film takes place after the towers collapse while the men are trapped in the rubble. The story is told through the trapped police officers current situation as well as what their families are going through at the same time.

I felt this story to be very natural and not Hollywood-ized, something I had been worried would happen. All the events seemed plausible, they didn't throw anything in for added drama. All of the characters were completely believable and you ended up loving all of them by the end. I will caution you though, there are some intense scenes in this movie so if you are unable to deal with some of the events from that day you may not want to see the film.

The cinematography and sound really aided this film. All of the filming was crisp and clean, the special effects were great and you could hardly tell this had been filmed after the towers were gone (the shots containing the towers that is). There were some great scenes from life in new york; shots of the skyline and the subway as well as some breathtaking aerials. The sound was spot on, you could feel the building collapse as the scenes unfolded on the screen. It was a great job all around.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, it lived up to Flight 93, although it has an entirely different feel to it. This film is not ground-breaking work, but it wasn't meant to be. It was meant to tell the story of a few brave men and their families and their experiences during September 11th, and it accomplished this very well.

When I first heard of this movie being made, I had so many debates about this film, I almost hated Oliver Stone, after all, we just had only the 5 year anniversary of 9/11. I thought he was going to make some action movie of a horrifying and nightmarish event that is still fresh in most of our memories. So, I refused to see this film, but a girl at my work told me that it wasn't like what we both expected at all and that it was a great film. So, my friend and I decided to see it, I have to say that it was beautifully done and showed great respect for that horrible day.

Gratefully and I must thank Oliver Stone, he didn't reenact or computerize the planes crashing into the towers, this movie just focused mainly on the policemen and firemen who gave their lives that day and to two strong and brave policemen who ended up in the most brutal and hellish nightmare, being trapped and buried alive under tons and tons of what was a 110 story building. Their struggle was so brutal to watch, but it kept your hopes and strength alive. 95% of the world only witnessed what happened on the outside, finally, this movie showed us what it was like to be in New York and what the firemen and policemen went through, along with their families.

I have to say that it was so mentally disturbing though to see the towers in the beginning of the film, I actually started sobbing, because it's still to this day unbelievable that they're just not there. But still, it was pictured perfectly and beautifully done, I loved that they showed how much of a normal day it was for all of us before the plane hit the first tower.

It's a beautifully acted and hopeful film that will make you remember that that day not only showed the worst evil in people, but it brought out some of the best and heroic acts anyone has ever witnessed. RIP to those 2800 people who lost their lives that day, you will never be forgotten. And on a special note, thank you to the firemen and policemen who fought, survived, and died on that tragic day, you may have done your job, but it was the most heroic thing anyone could have done, they saved more lives than we realized. Let's not forget.

10/10

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.