World Trade Center 10/27/06

I have always been an Oliver Stone fan, from the first time I watched Platoon and JFK. After seeing those I quickly raided Blockbuster of everything Oliver Stone: Wall Street, Midnight Express, Scarface, Nixon, Natural Born Killers. Ive even seen Any Given Sunday and somewhat like Alexander. This movie is so different from the rest of those movies. So different.
There was somewhat a consensus when this movie was first mentioned that it shouldnt be made. It was too early and please anybody but Oliver Stone. A gifted filmmaker yes, but his works are great thrillers that include angry monologues, sensationalist spectacles, and controversial topics. How can that type of filmmaker be trusted with September 11th. Most people thought it couldnt. I can truly say Oliver has proved everyone wrong.
This movies main feeling isnt fear or anger or pathos of any kind. What permeates this movie is love. Its a whole big fat basket of good American apple pie and Jesus love. He doesnt show planes hitting the towers, he doesnt mention terrorists at all. He limits the movies view toward those that responded to the attacks with only the desire to help. The most cynical piece of language uttered is the word "bastards." This is said by a cop in Sheboygan, Wisconsin who afterwards took his whole company to New York, set up a barbeque at ground zero, and fed everyone.
Nicolas Cages performance is also a bit of a triumph. It probably wasnt easy creating a character who doesnt move for that last hour and a half of the film. 
I assume that every character in this film is an actual person. That makes me proud to be an American. I felt proud when the cops stepped forward to go into the building and try to save some of the people even though the sight of the fire was especially frightening. There is also a great scene in which Jimeno is carted out of the hole and there is a great line of firemen and cops there to help move him quickly and safely to the hospital. This is the type of goodness that moves people. I would guess that most people who cry at this movie are probably doing so because they are touched by the charity of those involved in the aftermath not because of the horrible acts that occured beforehand.