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The events of September 11 left an indelible mark on most
Americans, and certainly on those in the New York City area.
Yet as fresh as the images seem, it's easy to forget the actual
grit, sacrifice, and uncertainty of that day. Director Oliver
Stone captures the essence of 9/11 by focusing on the true
story of two Port Authority Police Department officers who
were trapped beneath the wreckage of the fallen World Trade
Center...
World
Trade Center is the true story of John McLoughlin and
William J. Jimeno, two of the last survivors extracted from
Ground Zero.
I
want to start this review by stating that I came to this movie
totally open and unsure of what to expect. I hadn't read any
film reviews from when the movie was originally release and
had seen nothing in the press to indicate whether it was a
good or bad movie. And, other than the facts that Oliver Stone
was the director and Nicholas Cage was the principal character,
I knew absolutely nothing about how the movie was going to
unfold. Yes, I knew it was based on the events of 11 September
2001, and that it followed some of the service men who bravely
put their lives on the line to save others, but that was it.
So,
it was something of a surprise to discover that this movie
opens only a very short while before the planes crash into
the towers and our heroes spend the entire movie underground
not being able to move. To be quite honest I found the majority
of this movie to be tedious and rather too sentimental and
so, on listening to the audio commentary with one of the survivors
and other cops that helped on the day, was surprised to hear
that all of the events depicted were about as close to reality
as possible. I had assumed that Stone had taken these two
men's experiences and incorporated them into his movie. I
had no idea that it carefully staged to be so realistic.
The
movie follows two cops as they, as part of a team, arrive
at the towers to help in whatever way they can. They are unprepared
and have no idea what to expect when they arrive. They are
buried when the towers collapse and spend the rest of the
movie in the dark trying to help each other through their
ordeal.
Their
families are shown at home wondering whether their loved ones
are alive or dead, and there are a few other characters that
pop in and out - including the slightly unhinged ex-marine
who hears God telling him to go and search for survivors.
Not wishing to offend the almighty, he gets a hair cut, puts
on his old uniform, travels to Ground Zero and talks his way
past the security checks in order to spend the first night
searching through the rubble for any survivors.
While
the events may well be based on real characters and events,
I couldn't help but feel that we hadn't been introduced to
them properly. At no time did I feel as though I was growing
to like either of the two men. It was only through listening
to the audio commentary, where Jimeno is one of the participants,
and watching the extensive extras on the second disc, that
I actually came to realise how close to reality this film
was and how their story was something much greater than Stone
shows.
To
be honest Stone's attempts only actually mean anything if
you know a little more about both McLoughlin and Jimeno. In
fact I have to admit that I really enjoyed the Common Sacrifice
two-part featurette. This told the entire story of McLoughlin
and Jimeno and continued way beyond the ending of the film
to explain how long they were in hospital for and what their
injuries were.
If
you can't be bothered to sit for two hours, then you can watch
the Theatrical Trailer that is included on disc two
of the two-disc edition. It tells the story in a fraction
of the time and looks a lot more interesting than the finished
film. I also found it a lot more moving.
To
be perfectly honest the single disc release is not worth buying.
However, the two-disc edition is packed full of really interesting
featurettes. I think this could well be the first time that
I've found the extras to be much, much more interesting than
the main feature.
Extras
include: 17 mins of extended/deleted scenes; audio commentary
with Stone; audio commentary with Jimeno and several of his
rescuers; The Making of The World Trade Center (51
min featurette that is split into three parts); Common
Sacrifice (52 min featurette that examines the real story
with interviews with all involved). To my mind this is worth
the retail price alone; Building Ground Zero (24 min
featurette that looks at the set construction); Visual
and Special Effects (12 min featurette); Oliver Stone's
New York (24 minute featurette that follows Stone around
New York as he points out places from his childhood); Q&A
With Oliver Stone (13 minute interview from the BAFTAs);
Theatrical Trailer; 5 TV spots; and a photo gallery
- that is actually quite interesting as it shows the real
life heroes on set.
My
final mark really reflects the quality of the extras more
than anything. As a stand alone film this is (I hate to say)
pretty dull. The pace is too slack and spending a good portion
of the movie watching two guys trapped in the dark is not
my idea of a good time. Why Stone didn't concentrate more
time building up the characters as ordinary guys (so that
the audience could feel for them) and then conclude the last
segment of the movie with their fight in hospital is beyond
me. As it is it just feels like a made for TV movie about
two guys buried underground.
Pete
Boomer
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£14.99
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Single Disc Edition |
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£17.24
(Amazon.co.uk)
Two Disc Commemorative Edition |
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£14.99
(Play.com)
Single Disc Edition |
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£15.99
(Play.com)
Two Disc Commemorative Edition |
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£12.99
(HMV.co.uk)
Single Disc Edition |
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£14.99
(HMV.co.uk)
Two Disc Commemorative Edition |
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£12.89
(Sendit.com)
Single Disc Edition |
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£14.89
(Sendit.com)
Two Disc Commemorative Edition |
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£13.49
(Bensons-world.co.uk)
Single Disc Edition |
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£20.65
(Bensons-world.co.uk)
Two Disc Commemorative Edition |
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£13.99
(Thehut.com)
Single Disc Edition |
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£15.99
(Thehut.com)
Two Disc Commemorative Edition |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
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