World Trade Center

Many of you already know that I have a rule: If a movie trailer makes me cry, I can't go see the movie. I do, however, make an occasional exception. The trailer for United 93 made me cry, but I went anyway (as it turned out, the whole movie made me cry pretty much just like I expected I would — but the tears were worth it in tribute to those brave souls aboard if nothing else). Trailers for World Trade Center choked me up, too, but it wasn't a film I was willing to miss. To me, the saddest part is that World Trade Center both did and didn't live up to my expectations.

World Trade Center tells only one small sliver of the story that was 9/11. It focuses entirely on the experiences of a pair of Port Authority cops, John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Peña). McLoughlin is a 21 year veteran of the Port Authority while Jimeno is a rookie. Both wake up and get ready for work on September 11, 2001 just like they do on every other day; both arrive on station ready to do their jobs.

McLoughlin assigns various officers to different posts; Jimeno heads for his with a smile. But just as Jimeno good naturedly chastises a homeless man for sitting on a statue, a shadow passes overhead. He glances up just in time to see the shadow of a plane crossing the upper stories of a nearby building. It's only minutes until other police department personnel, busy in their offices, hear and feel an explosion; moments later, they learn a plane has flown into one of the World Trade Center buildings.

Many of the police out on the street are called back to the station where they're assigned to go to the World Trade Center to help with evacuations. McLoughlin, who actually helped devise emergency plans for the buildings after the 1993 bombing there, leads one group of men to the site; on their way, one hears a report dismissed by the rest that a second plane has hit the other Trade Center tower. On arrival, chaos reigns, but McLoughlin makes some quick decisions, asks for volunteers, and heads into the buildings to do his job.

McLoughlin, and his group of volunteers including Jimeno, have scarcely got their equipment together when tragedy strikes: though they don't know it, the first tower is coming down. Amidst falling debris and panic, McLoughlin's knowledge of the Trade Center complex comes in handy as he screams to his men to run toward a freight elevator shaft. Knowing the shafts are the strongest part of the buildings, McLoughlin believes it's their only hope to survive. McLoughlin is right, but their continued survival is by now means assured as the few men still alive struggle to stay that way despite serious injuries and being buried under at least 20 feet of rubble.

Meanwhile, McLoughlin's wife, Donna (Maria Bello) watches the horror unfold on television much as the rest of us did on that day, but with one crucial difference: she fears her husband may have been on site when the towers collapsed. One who understands Donna's fears all too well is Jimeno's pregnant wife, Allison. She, too, suffers the agonies of not knowing whether or not her husband has survived the attacks and even as she refuses to think that he might be dead, she seems to be preparing herself for the worst almost against her will.

So with all of this, why wasn't World Trade Center more emotional for me? Maybe it was because I knew McLoughlin and Jimeno would survive, or perhaps it's because much of the script seemed oddly flat. The only portions of the film that did bring tears involved things I didn't know, or knew little about: the agonizing search for the survivors afterward and the poignant gratitude of those who were saved; the courage of a few who refused to give up and who risked their own lives to save those of others (and who, in fact, continue to do so); the utter shell shock of those who were there and who saw things that will doubtless haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Small details we didn't know or didn't remember abound. In the fluttering of office paperwork over the streets and the eyes of walking wounded lucky enough to escape the devastation, our own horror is brought back in full measure. Oliver Stone proved he deserves every bit of his reputation as a brilliant director with skillful edits, terrific attention to detail, and exceedingly uncomfortable scenes of the trapped men. Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña are good; Maria Bellow and Maggie Gyllenhaal are even better.

And yet somehow there's also something missing. United 93 is a less personal film, but is somehow more moving. World Trade Center gives rescuers their due, but is unfortunately a lesser film. Do I never-the-less recommend it? Yes. I think it's important to see it because it's important that we never forget what happened that day, and we've obviously already forgotten too much. But if it weren't for the subject matter, I'd have to say that World Trade Center is a fairly average film thanks to an inexcusably average script. That it still has its moments is testament not to the movie-makers but to the abject horror that was 9/11.

POLITICAL NOTES: Despite Stone's well known liberal bent (not to mention the fact that actress Gyllenhaal blamed the US for bringing the attacks on itself shortly after the disaster), World Trade Center doesn't really delve into politics at all. Stone said he wanted to tell the story of a couple of cops who suffered greatly on that day, and that's exactly what he did. In fact, in the scant moments when politics is mentioned, Stone surprisingly lets it reflect the bent of most of us at that moment in time. Good for him. He's got his own viewpoint and principles, but he's got artistic integrity, too, and I salute him for it.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The World Trade Center is rated PG 13 for "intense and emotional content, some disturbing images, and language." There are, indeed, some disturbing images. Children will neither understand nor appreciate them, but I never-the-less wouldn't bring young children to see this one. While there's unquestionably some redeeming content here, youngsters shouldn't have to face those kinds of lessons no matter how valuable they may be. I'd definitely keep those younger than 13 away from the theatre for this one, and I'd be ready and willing to talk to my younger teens should they choose to go. It's been five years, but it's appallingly easy to bring back the raw pain even now.