World Trade Center (2006) Rated R Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, and Maria Bello Rating: out of

World Trade Center centers on Port Authority Police Department Sgt. John McCloughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Officer William Jimeno (Michael Peña) who were buried in the rubble when the first tower fell at Ground Zero. Through them, the movie takes us back to the morning of September 11th, as they head into work, get their daily assignments, and head out to do their jobs with no idea that the day would be any different than any other.

The movie effectively portrays the confusion of that day as the news of the attacks arrives along with rumors about their scope. "I heard they nuked Israel!" exclaims an officer on his on the way to the towers. We learn that even while firemen, police, and rescue units streamed into the towers to help with the evacuation, most of them had no idea that the second tower had been hit by another plane. They were focused on getting prepared for the daunting task of evacuating people from a 110 story building, not watching the news.

While the movie could have exploited the events of the day in bombastic detail, Stone keeps the actual attacks off-screen. The first plane is seen in shadow as it flies low over the New York skyline. The second plane isn't even shown but is referred to by characters as they discuss what may have happened. When Stone does go into detail with on-screen depictions of the day's events, it's from a perspective that, thankfully, most of us have never seen: the collapse of the towers from inside and underneath. For those that have been numbed by repeated showings of external views of the buildings' collapse, this will put it all on a truly terrifying personal level.

The film loses steam, however, when it moves away from Ground Zero. Admittedly, there's not a lot of action when the two lead actors are pinned under debris but World Trade Center takes on an unnecessary melodramatic tone as we see the families of McLoughlin and Jimeno deal with the uncertainty of their loved one's survival. Taking the movie's attention away from the two trapped officers is a mistake but it doesn't ruin the film. It just makes it more ordinary than a movie about this subject should be.

Almost doing the unbelievable, Stone has managed to make a movie about 9/11 that is not likely to offend anyone. No matter your political affiliation, World Trade Center has something to offer. Whether one considers it to be an uplifting story of survival against the odds or a celebration of the American spirit, World Trade Center works.

Trivia: Mel Gibson was a hot favorite for the role of Sgt. John McLoughlin. Screenwriter Andrea Berloff had Gibson in mind while penning the screenplay. McLoughlin, a longtime fan of Gibson, enthusiastically gave his approval. And due to his commercially appealing name, Paramount Pictures was very interested in casting him in the part. Although Gibson liked the script very much, he turned it down in order to direct Apocalypto. (Source: The Internet Movie Database)