Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23463 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-29
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
Set in the aftermath of the tragic attack on New York's Twin Towers, World Trade Center is a carefully constructed, respectful and dignified tribute the acts of heroism on that terrible day. It follows the real-life story of John McLoughlin and William J Jimeno, two Port Authority officers trapped amidst the rubble and chaos of September 11th. The film spends time with them, those trying to rescue them and their families, as their story hauntingly unfolds, and what emerges is a focused, human story, compellingly told.

Surprisingly, World Trade Center's director is Oliver Stone, whose back catalogue is a mixture of provocative, controversial and challenging films. Here, he wisely pulls back, choosing to let the story unfold with little intervention. His direction is clever and underplayed, which serves to enhance the feeling of claustrophobia and emotion. It's Stone's best film in some time, even if it rarely feels like he's the man behind the camera.

He's helped by some fine turns from his cast, led by Nicolas Cage and Maria Bello, and while there's an argument that the screenplay could use a little pruning, World Trade Center is nonetheless a strong piece of work. True, Paul Greengrass' stunning, devastating United 93 is a superior film, but in this case, that's beside the point. Because World Trade Center is still an important, well made film in its own right, and one that deserves, and perhaps needs, to be seen.--Simon Brew

Synopsis
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. Veteran officer Sergeant John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and his team, including rookie Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) are gathering equipment to enter the burning Twin Towers when the concourse comes crashing down around them. Twenty feet below the surface, pinned by debris and unable to reach anyone by radio, the officers must rely on their own will--and on each other--to survive. Above ground, their families watch the towers fall, uncertain whether or not McLoughlin and Jimeno are there, since they are normally assigned to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Like so many that day, Donna McLoughlin (Maria Bello) and Allison Jimeno (Maggie Gyllenhaal) wait for news at home surrounded by their families, fearing the worst and praying for the best. Stone's film depicts the horror and heartbreak of the victims, survivors, and their families with an understated, subtle touch. From the ash and dust covering everyone and everything to the dazed expressions of the workers leaving the towers to the steaming twisted metal remains of the World Trade Center, attention to detail is exceedingly realistic. Rather than being political or sensationalistic, this is a film about everyday heroes--men and women doing their best in the face of an unspeakable event. It may be just one story of many from September 11, but it represents the efforts, emotions, and reactions of so many on that fateful day.

Customer Reviews

Poor!
This film had the ability to be so much more, but it wasnt, and just when you thought it was getting somewhat interesting it wasnt!
Very disappointing to watch to be honest.

Join the dots disaster movie
This event was both epochal and harrowing; this film is determinedly neither. It is a wearily predictable plod which does a shoddy disservice to the actual heroes of the day. Cliche follows cliche until you get the impression that you, the viewer, are buried under a thick rubble of corny dialogue. The victims struggled to stay awake and so will you. Dramatic tension, the like which grips your imagination, never appears. That Stone cannot realise this from one of the most devastating events in post-war history is amazing, for drama undoubtedly engulfed the actual victims of 9/11 on the day. This film is like trying to glean an inkling of their experience through a peculiar haze of sterility.

Standard stuff
Not a bad disater film but it was not really about September 11. The attack was pretty much skipped over and the focus was on firemen trapped in the ruins of what could have been any building in any city of the US. There's nothing in this film that hasn't been explored over and over again in dozens of films.