World Trade Center

One of two movies about the tragedy of 9/11 made to date, this is the one that generated the most controversy because of its director, Oliver Stone.

[SPOILER PARAGRAPH] The story follows Nicolas Cage’s character and a group of his coworker firemen that get summoned to the World Trade Center when it is hit by airplanes highjacked by terrorists. Buried under the rubble when the two towers suddenly collapse, he sees most of his friends perish, one at a time, waiting for rescue. Their odyssey is intercut with the reactions and gradually diminishing hopes of their families.

Stone, known for making controversial films that usually hit a nerve, wanted to tell the story of a group of ordinary men who were called upon to perform extraordinary deeds on the most unusual of circumstances, and he succeeds admirably. The movie is touching and flows very well, and brought back a bunch of memories from that fatal day when innocence died for many people.

Cage does a good job, albeit a little understated, but maybe that’s how the guy he portrays really is, since this is a real story. As his wife, Maria Bello is good too as is Michael Peña as his buddy in harm’s way. No actor particularly stands out as exceptional, but that’s also because the real protagonist of this movie are the fallen towers. Their presence pervades the spectator’s every thought, probably because the tragedy is still so fresh in our consciousness.

A good movie, but not for the faint of heart, given the subject matter.

Grade: 8