DVD - WORLD TRADE CENTER
Produced - 2006
Director - Oliver Stone

A generation will not forget what happened on September 11th 2001 in New York. The world changed that day, and this Oliver Stone film depicted what was lost when it came to pride and honor. Not surprising that the horrors installed a backlash which we are still reaping today, even though if not just diluted a tad, hence the current US Administration.

Oliver Stone was the Director to produce this film, it is his forte. The fact that it really isn't a soul searching analysis that condemns groups and doesn't single out conspiracies that surround the event, it is a fitting tribute to all the New York's police and rescue services. It's bravado and heroic and warm, is a testament to all concern. For all the lost lives, Stone certainly had embodied a clarity with sympathy without going over the top. His thought patterns derived a great need to tell the story as it unfolded purposefully not over-riding the enormous grief and the huge backlash that became so evident in Iraq. Oliver Stone had unleashed his subjective side without pouring scorn or blame. It must have been hard to do, to approach the matter with a delicate hand and not go through the roof with it, such as Michael Mann had.

Stone in this film has made it his own, just like a painter does with his works. Subtle differences from actual events are evident, not that you would know or pour an editor's eye over. There were religions used in the film that is to a naked eye not apparent. Background extras were passing shots of Stones character, pushed to the back of the scenes momentarily. The fact the secondary independent building adjacent to the World Trade Centre pit, was not shown to have also fallen, which fell exactly like the twin towers did; wasn't even mentioned. I liked that because that building holds the biggest conspiracies that prior the event no-one even entered the building, and also the CIA had used it for years. This is where Michael Mann had centred his fury in 'Fahrenheit'; which made a donkey out of the security services along the way with George W Bush being a gun slinging dumb Texan riddled with sleaze, nothing different there then.

At least with Oliver Stone's epic, he showed a true human-side without the tissues, though World Trade Centre does allow for an eye wipe partly due to the humanity waste and loss caused by crazed fanatics across the pond.

Stars and Wipes
*
The leading role goes to Nicolas Cage, his character name is McLoughlin; his team goes into the fire-balls of the un-known with the New York Port Authority officers. Their rescue mission is activated. Everyone is hyped up as the mission takes urgent steps in saving lives from the building. Nick Cage plays bravado very well and has a great team behind him endorsing the true American grit that they will need, today of all days; where only the strong and energized are required at this terrible time; no time for thinking, only doing will do. No boiler-room wimps are allowed. Comradeship is a must to back your captain at all costs as heat, fire, and surround the unit, unaware what awaits them around each corner climbing deliberately single file, looking like sitting ducks in a fairground. By this time the second tower had been hit with such force the team thought the skies had caved in, but they tirelessly fought back their fears and the deadly smoke whipping up around them. This was war time in peace time, before anyone knew of Bin Laden and his warped Islam extremists; before anyone knew of what happened to The Pentagon; as 4 planes had been hijacked that fateful day.

Quick thinking McLaughlin was fully aware of the dangers that embarked on his team of brave men. His actions saved lives when he managed to feel his way to a sturdy stairway when one of the towers fell; sadly he did lose men, two of them. They had to move on though, no time to ponder as the massive collective juggernaut of noise, rock and steel debris even paper had encased everything that was visible.

McLaughlin's team was facing absolute turmoil filled with boundless emotions. His team was diminishing. Looking around them the unit checked that a few more of the heroic team were hurt, they needed attention. Not knowing what was going to appear next part of the team perished helpless in the shredded steel. Radio connection was down, there was no-where to turn, just a black-hole of dust and heat, with no control family and friends had feared the worse, they had seen the events unfold, yet our heroes plowed on unable to realize what was going on outside the chamber of hell. Alerts were all across the globe now as breaking news stopped every-ones daily lives. McLaughlin feels abandoned to his fate but more importantly he had to stay focus in what would be the US first historical terrorist attack. No-one was prepared. The only last knowledge of a terrorist attempt was in the same building in 1993; a bomb had blown-up part of the WTC basement car-park. This was so different; this was an attack no Western nation had endured before. The WTC was a symbol of capitalistic values and true democracy. Who were the perpetrators?

Night descends quickly upon our brave comrades, not that they had seen any light for many hours. Survival was key; no time to re-live matters of the past. Loved ones were waiting, waiting endlessly for news - tied to news updates as if it were their life support machine. Who will survive from the brave unit? Sadly; 343 police and rescue services lost their men and comrades that dreadful day, on what we call today, 911. This was the day no-one will ever forget.

The cast is below:

Nicolas Cage ... John McLoughlin
Maria Bello ... Donna McLoughlin
Connor Paolo ... Steven McLoughlin
Anthony Piccininni ... JJ McLoughlin
Alexa Gerasimovich ... Erin McLoughlin
Morgan Flynn ... Caitlin McLoughlin
Michael Pea ... Will Jimeno
Armando Riesco ... Antonio Rodrigues
Jay Hernandez ... Dominick Pezzulo
Will Mapother...Marine Sergeant Karney
Maggie Gyllenhaal....Mrs Meadow

Jimeno

Box Office:

This potentially highly potent film reaped many accolades since taking to the screen. The figure for the opening weekend was $18,730,762 in the U.S. and Canada. The figures are from 25-10-2006 period, the film has made $70,278,893 at the North American Box-Office. Overall the figure Worldwide has reaped in over $162,000,000.

The award goes to....

Best Picture - Online Film Fans Awards, October 23, 2006
Best Director, Oliver Stone - Online Film Fans Awards

Their have been many transcribed versions and accounts of what has been deemed as the worse day in recent history, has notably been misjudged by the absolute mayhem that occurred. Some of the personnel involved have experienced time-lapses during the rescue operation which was endless. Oliver Stones WTC had undernourished the viewer with details of how difficult it was to make rescues as teams made painstaking decisions on what was stable footing and what was live. Certain area temperatures recorded that day was astronomical and was impossible to even venture anywhere near to, making every second hazardous. Stones added extras also caused concern as there was a racial undertone in his casting choices. I tend to side with Stones 'artistic license' as he is well-known in being controversial, so he shows his hand in other ways. You can't re-invent history especially recent history, so his stance re-defines it to castings, and within characters. Only Oliver Stone will know how much of his signature is on this film; a leopard doesn't change his spots overnight.

Completely caught off guard were the CIA and the US security, their arrogance shone through when it was relayed a while later that they did actually know of the potential threats the Islamic extremists posed. The fact that the US is multi-cultured with many practicing religions embracing the capitalistic ideologies does not make the US immune from attacks. You are dealing with warped mind-bending fanatics who would sacrifice their own family to just have that bewildering deranged label of being a martyr. I feel that the film gladly celebrates true bravery and courage beyond recognition. By endorsing other equations into the storyline the whole message of a defiant Western World would have been diluted.

The death toll at 2,740 dead on 911; has made a huge impact. The US and the West have not turned the other cheek, and we are still in the shadows of many potentially dawned killers. Terror camps are still being used across Pakistan which in itself is petering on a very dangerous line whereby its alliance with the West could be their own un-doing. The US have a new administration at present and the tide is turning with the abandonment of their own torture methods and holding terror suspects without cause. The true test is yet to come, I doubt we are up to the task of resolving our differences with an unmistakably 'the devil's eye'.

For more information -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W orld_Trade_Center_( film)

The DVD release was on 12th December 06. The double DVD version was released on 29th January 07.

Check-out the above link for the special DVD features and extra picture and film bonuses, overall this film is a wonderfully crafted balanced film on an unbelievably tender subject.

Thank you for reading World Trade Center.

Learn more about this author, Shaun Wing.
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