News Archives

Movie Review:  World Trade Center

Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Director: Oliver Stone
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jay Hernandez
Rating: PG-13 for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images and language

By Gregg Tubbs

(UMC.org)—On the heels of five-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, director Oliver Stone brings us World Trade Center. It’s not the first 9/11 film (that was United 93), but the first film by a major filmmaker to take us to ground zero to relive those first terrible moments. For many, this film comes too soon. The feelings are too fresh, the hurt too raw. For others, the question is not so much when should the story be told, but rather how to even approach it. How do you capture an event that is still actively changing us? And what will one of America’s most controversial filmmakers do with such a difficult, painful subject? The answer is as surprising as it is successful. Stone delivers a heartfelt, moving tribute depicting how the worst of times can bring out the best in a nation.


McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Jimeno (Michael Peña) rush to join the hundreds of New York’s finest who don’t yet comprehend what awaits them. Copyright © 2006 Paramount Pictures.
Has there ever been an event more damaging to the American psyche than 9/11? Pearl Harbor instantly changed the course of our nation, and the words “Oklahoma City” and “Space Shuttle Challenger” generate their own deep and sorrowful memories. But the four hijacked jetliners of 9/11 did more than kill thousands of innocent people and obliterate American landmarks. They struck at the heart of our national character, rattling our confidence, violating our perceived invulnerability, and causing us, as a nation, to look nervously over our shoulders for the terrorist that rustled in every bush.

To tackle this both epic and personal event, Stone and screenwriting newcomer Andrea Berloff chose to walk a tightrope, balancing the true, almost intimate, story of two trapped police officers with brief, but potent, glimpses of the monumental devastation surrounding them. The film begins as Port Authority policemen, Sgt. John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and rookie Will Jimeno (Michael Peña) report to work in the early morning hours of what seems to be a typical day. Soon the morning routine is shattered by a call for all units to report to the World Trade Center, where a still-unclear accident has occurred. McLoughlin and Jimeno rush to join the hundreds of New York’s finest who don’t yet comprehend what awaits them. They only know that people need them, and that their job to “protect and serve” is a nearly sacred charge.


World Trade Center plays out as a harrowing and moving tale of survival, cutting back and forth between the two trapped officers, their anxious families, and poignant flashbacks of their cherished home life. Copyright © 2006 Paramount Pictures.
Arriving at the Concourse between the Towers, McLoughlin and his small team are unexpectedly trapped in the rubble of the central elevator shaft as the Towers come crashing down around them. Soon, only McLoughlin and Jimeno are left alive, and World Trade Center plays out as a harrowing and moving tale of survival, cutting back and forth between the two trapped officers, their anxious families, and poignant flashbacks of their cherished home life. McLouglin and Jimeno pray, cry, joke and rage in order to hang on. In the process, the rookie and stern veteran form a deep bond, staying awake and alive for each other. Immobilized for most of the film, Cage and Peña, give clean, unadorned performances, conveying a wealth of emotions without ever going “over the top.”

By narrowing his scope and focusing on the isolated officers who, while trapped, were unaware of the details of the attack, Stone succeeds in his goal of recapturing the initial moments and response to the tragedy—before the political vultures began to pick at it and color it for their own gain. He reminds us of the shared feelings of grief, shock and compassion that united us to join together to care for the victims and to comfort the families of the fallen.

 
Karnes (Michael Shannon), with another lone Marine, located McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Jimeno (Michael Peña), leading to their successful rescue. Copyright © 2006 Paramount Pictures.
But one character does hint at the more complex and conflicted responses that many individuals—and certainly our nation— would also adopt. Former Marine Dave Karnes (Michael Shannon) watches the terrorist attacks on television and immediately dons his old uniform and heads to Ground Zero, believing God has called him to help the people there. Karnes, with another lone Marine, located McLoughlin and Jimeno, leading to their successful rescue. But Karnes later vows to reenlist in the Corps because, “It’s going to take a lot of good men to avenge this.” His determination to help, as well as seek vengeance, is a troubling but honest example of the contradictory feelings of many of us shared in 9/11’s wake.
Deciding whether to see this film will be a personal, even difficult choice. But if you do, World Trade Center offers a restorative portrait of the best of what binds us as people—compassion, shared purpose and a sense of shared humanity. The movie also highlights those things we cling to, that give us hope during the worst of times like family, faith and love.

Gregg Tubbs is a freelance writer living in Columbia, Md.
This review was developed by UMC.org, the official online ministry of The United Methodist Church.

Study Questions

  • Do you believe it is too soon for this film, or was the timing right? Explain your thoughts.
  • Why did you see the film? Did you have any misgivings about reliving 9/11?
  • It has been said that 9/11 changed America. Do you agree? How do you feel about those changes?
    What did you do immediately after 9/11? Were you moved to help by giving blood or did you attend a prayer or church service?
  • What role did faith play in the survival of McLoughlin and Jimeno? Do you think God played an active role in their rescue? What was it?
  • Sgt. Karnes felt he was called by God to help. Do you believe God guided him to the trapped men?
  • How did McLoughlin, Jimeno and Karnes each express their faith? Did you identify strongly with them?
  • Karnes had the most complex reaction to the situation. As a Christian, how could he be moved by both compassion (for the victims) and also by the desire for revenge?
  • Do you think there is a difference between justice and vengeance? What do you think the difference is? What does the Bible say? (See Romans 12:19.)
  • Did you think Stone’s film was too political or not political enough? Did 9/11 change your political view? Has it remained the same since? Did it also impact your faith? How?

Resources
Official World Trade Center Web site

Theatrical Trailer
QuickTime