Grade: BFifteen years ago, the most horrible event of the Millennium accord. Instead of center the film on the event itself, Oliver Stone decided to focus on two police officers who were trapped in a collapsed elevator shaft while responding to the event.The building crash is never shown on screen. You get glimpses of it through radio and television broadcasts. By doing this, it allows us to experience the event through the eyes of the responders who had no idea what had just happened.The film spends around 45 minuets diving into the backstory of these two officer's lives. The film attempts to make these people out as heroes, but the officers are presented as being no different than any other human being, they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Stone is known for political button pushing, but in WORLD TRADE CENTER, starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena as two NY port authority policemen who are literally buried alive beneath the wreckage of the WTC collapses, the director tells the story without any digressions. It's simply the true life story of John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, as well as the story of a horrible day that assaulted America and then brought us together.When the Twin Towers are hit by the hijacked planes, the brave men and women of the FDNY and the NYPD, along with the PA police, risk their lives to try to save thousands of innocent lives. When Trade Center 2 (the south tower) collapses, McLoughlin, Jimeno, and a fellow PA named Pezzulo (Jay Hernandez) survive, but soon they are buried by tons more debris when Tower One falls. While they struggle to stay conscious through the excruciating pain of their injuries, their loved ones back home anxiously await word from them.Jimeno was buried about 15 hours, McLoughlin about 22. Most of the movie is centered on them as they talk to each other and keep each other alive. It is quite dark on screen for a lot of the film and that kind of affects how much I enjoyed it, even though it's probably realistically presented. They were practically entombed. Luckily, you get to know the wives of these 2 men: Allison Jimeno (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is pregnant with their second child. Donna McLoughlin (Maria Bello) is wondering if she'll ever get a chance to try to be close to her husband the way they once were.The film also showcases Michael Shannon as a dedicated Marine who decides to go to New York and help in the rescue operation that saved the lives of the 2 PA policemen.I like this film because it has no political subtext. It is what it is. A story of the real heroes of 9/11.

Highly underrated movie that follows the will to survive of two Port Authority Policemen after that attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. Special affects are amazing. I know the former WTC complex very well and from every angle of this film, it looks just like it did. Its almost laughable about how many idiots pan this movie for various things like one comment about the Jesus figure showing up. Ever consider thats what that policeman saw while going in and out of consciousness? The acting is fine. Like any of the totally stupid action movies that came out this summer are Oscar material. I know I'm getting old when great movies like this get panned, yet crowds head to the theaters for the stupidest movies nowadays. Don't listen to the bad reviews. Give this a look over and judge for yourself. Along with United 93, this movie does a great job of putting the viewer in the shows of the people who were directly impacted that day. It almost didn't feel like a Oliver Stone movie. So if thats a reason your not giving it a chance, you should see it anyway..

I decided to watch this movie because Oliver Stone is a guarantee of a quality movie. However, I was very disappointed by it since the plot, the events and the characters are those of a classic average movie with the predictable American happy ending. To be honest, if I hadn't known it, I would never have guessed it was an Oliver Stone movie. The director of many good movies like Talk Radio, JFK, Any Given Sunday and W. usually gives an original and very personal cut to his pictures, but this time he totally fails to give such a touch and instead he winds up being banal and predictable. Plus, the plot is boring and not at all entertaining, with big part of the movie shot in the dark of the debris of the WTC where the two Policemen are trapped.