World Trade Center

Nearly five years after September 11, we now have two big-screen motion pictures that have successfully remind us of the emotions we felt that day: UNITED 93 and WORLD TRADE CENTER.
When director Paul Greengrass released UNITED 93 in April, people were outraged. Some theaters across the country refused to show the trailer. Many claimed it was “too soon.” Even though Oliver Stone’s WORLD TRADE CENTER is far less controversial, some still make that same claim. Is it too soon? Or is it about time we remember what just barely happened to us? We have all forgotten how we felt that day and what effect it had on us. What happened to the signs and bumper stickers that said “United We Stand” and “We Will Always Remember?” You don’t see those anymore. If anything, our nation has become the polar opposite.
This country has never been so hostile towards its own people as is has since 9/11. Instead of keeping that binding spirit that held all of our people together through that fearful time, we’ve become a divided nation. With public speakers lobbying around feeding us opinion as fact (Michael Moore and Sean Hanity), it’s no wonder why we’ve become so separated. Instead of holding to each other through the storm, we’ve gotten into this paranoid state that keeps us fearfully away from each other.
So I say no. It’s not “too soon” to see the stories of that world-changing day depicted into film. If anything is “too soon,” it’s too soon that we’ve forgotten.
The advertisements for WORLD TRADE CENTER say, “The world saw evil that day. Two men saw something else.” Just like those characters, Greengrass and Stone have also seen something else about that day.
Greengrass saw a flight of terrified people. Regular people. People just like you and I – people with families and lives well worth living. He saw those people willing do anything they could to save their day as well as the lives of any people who could’ve died had that attack been successful. Some good happened there. Though the hijacked plane went down, it did not reach the terrorist’s target. Some good prevailed that day through average people just like you and me.
Stone took the most tragic event to ever shock this nation and showed us what it would’ve been like through the eyes of the brave and heroic police and firemen who risked all for people they’d never know. He showed us how average people can make a difference.
WORLD TRADE CENTER’s story focuses on two Port Authority policemen that were in the buildings as they came down. Nicholas Cage plays the part of Sergeant John McLoughlin and Michael Peña (CRASH) plays officer William Jimeno. Both McLoughlin and Jimeno had full participation though out the films production to make sure that the story stayed as factual and real life as it truly was. Many of the search and rescue characters were played by the actual men who helped dig McLoughlin and Jimeno out of the rubble. Stone made sure that WORLD TRADE CENTER was made properly to do justice to the story and to ensure that this touchy subject matter was handled in a sensitive manner.
Though Stone’s story is more fact and less fiction that Greengrass’, both help us remember what makes us the amazing country we are. Both try to lift our spirits and remember that we are indeed a stronger nation when we all stand together as opposed to dividing off into different stand-alone groups.
These are the movies that are going to show our children and grandchildren exactly what happened that day. They will know what makes this country what it is and what it can be through these two bold depictions.
UNITED 93 will be available on DVD September 5 and WORLD TRADE CENTER is now in theaters.