Hollywood Reviews and Movie Trivia

"World Trade Center", the latest from director Oliver Stone, is devoid of politics and partisan innuendo and scores an A...

Filmmaker Oliver Stone, certainly undeservedly, has the reputation of conspiracy theorist woven into his work. A careful examination of his work, in my opinion, reveals that other side of the coin that a lot of us might think about, but dare not say out loud. A lot of his films fall into the "realist" realm more than conspiracy. One of my favorites of Oliver Stone's is his sports film "Any Given Sunday" (Al Pacino). In that film he brought the viewer right up close and personal to the world of professional football, with a view of although it's entertainment and sport, the driving force behind it all is big business. It's the layers to his work that often times sparks the "conspiracy" premises that people tend to look for, once his name is attached. There are two parts to filmmaking that always dictates the impact of ones work, cinematic style and story. On that level, Oliver Stone, as his body of work shows, is a master of both.

If one takes away the emotional tie of the World Trade Center and its 9/11 impact, Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" is a drama of two dedicated New York Port Authority Police Officers, who, in the course of a workday that starts out fairly routine, and find themselves putting their lives on the line to rescue others and become trapped themselves.

Just as on TV, there are also reality movies and this is as real as it gets. The screenplay by Andrea Berloff, based on the true story of John McLoughlin (in a very moving performance by Oscar® winner Nicholas Cage), captures the total lives (including the families) of the central characters of John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena's poignant performance) of the New York Port Authority Police Department.

In the cinematic style of Oliver Stone, the story opens with the city of New York waking up on the morning of September 11, 2001. With the blue sky over New York, McLoughlin and Jimeno travel in the early morning traffic from their homes in Orange County, N.Y., and New Jersey, to start the routine of their daily jobs. As the 1st tower is hit, their squad is called, as first responders, to the twin towers. Director Oliver Stone effectively puts us in the World Trade Center alongside John and Will and cuts back and forth between their concerned and increasingly panicked families, while rescue attempts from above are in progress. Some sequences of John and Will are also flashbacks on points in their family lives that are memorable moments for them, as they cling to life and each other, and the hope that they will live.

The filmmaking aspects are heightened by director Stone's expertise. The sounds of the imploding towers from the perspective of the two trapped men is haunting and deadening, as millions of tons of debris comes crashing down around them. Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena, doing most of their acting lying on their backs and in almost total darkness, are very compelling as men trying to help each other stay awake and stay alive, coupled with the inter-cuts to the anxieties and hysteria of their wives is mesmerizing with Maria Bello as Donna McLoughlin and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Allison Jimeno.

"World Trade Center", is perhaps one of Oliver Stone's most poignant films to date. The last scene is a staged reunion two years after 9/11. A close look shows the actors meeting their real life counterparts. And that is as real as real gets...

Grade: A