World Trade Center Review

World Trade Center. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but for some strange reason I am pretty compelled to read and watch things that are about Sept. 11th. I don’t hold any particular relationship to New York City or to the events of that day, but I like to soak up the stories and pictures. I am a fan of the work of Oliver Stone, however, this story had so much potential to be crap that I had my doubts. Here’s the thing with it though, it tells the story without interfering with it. It follows a small group of Port Authority cops and shows things from their perspective as events unfolded that morning. One of the most interesting moments in film that I can remember is when the first plane hits. I never realized how loud and earth shaking that collision really was. Another interesting moment was being actually put into the collapse. This is understandably hard for some people to watch, however I found it to be fascinating. The film really wasn’t about those things though. It was really about how the two surviving cops talked each into surviving and it’s about the families that are wondering if they are okay. It’s not a glorification of the events, it’s not an over the top hero story, it’s not a tear jerker, it’s a simple story of two guys never giving up the fight.

On the note of film style and such, I found it so compelling I wasn’t really paying attention to the art side of it. I need another viewing to analyze Stone’s handiwork. I will refrain from making suggestions to watch the film or not, because it really is a personal decision to decide if you want to stir those powerful emotions that Sept. 11th brought with it. I will just say that after one viewing I liked it and plan to watch it again sometime in the future.