World Trade Center' is a world class movie

[Bonnie]

by Cal Thomas
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |

I have a long list of favorite patriotic movies, including "Victory at Sea," "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Sands of Iwo Jima," but Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" is right up there with the best of them. It is one of the greatest pro-American, pro-family, pro-faith, pro-male, flag-waving, G-d Bless America films you will ever see.

What? Oliver Stone, who hangs out with and praises Fidel Castro? Oliver Stone, who indulges in conspiracy theories and is a dues-paying member of the Hollywood left? Yes, THAT Oliver Stone.


"World Trade Center" is the story of five men who volunteered to enter the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001 in their role as officers of the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD). Three of them died and two, Will Jimeno (played persuasively by Michael Pena) and Sergeant John McLoughlin (played magnificently by Nicolas Cage), were buried in the rubble. These are real men who love their wives and children and are not afraid to say so. They are religious men who pray without shame or reserve. In fact, Jesus makes an appearance in Jimeno's hallucination, carrying a bottle of water to quench his thirst). Treating faith as genuine and with respect has only recently made a comeback among filmmakers.


"World Trade Center" is several stories folded into one. It not only tells of the bravery of the PAPD officers, but the faith, strength and fears of their wives. It is also the story of an ex-Marine who, after watching the carnage on television, goes to church to ask God what he should do. He emerges believing God wants him to go to Ground Zero. This is far from fanaticism. It is spirituality at its deepest and most profound.


That man, Dave Karnes (played by Michael Shannon), put on his old Marine uniform and managed to slip through police lines where he hooked up with another Marine vet. It was Karnes who found McLoughlin and Jimeno and directed rescuers to their location.


There is another element to this film that should be recognized and applauded. It is the overwhelming number of men and women of differing ethnicities in police and fire department uniforms who were so much a part of the good that shone forth through evil on that terrible day. At a time when we are engaged in a battle over illegal immigrants and the future of American culture, it should be encouraging to see so many who recently came from elsewhere behave like most Americans think real Americans should behave. They did, because they are real Americans.


In the press packet about the movie, Oliver Stone is quoted as saying: "Although my politics and John and Will's may be different, it didn't matter; we all got along. I can make a movie about them and their experiences because they went through something that I can understand. Politics does not enter into it — it's about courage and survival."


One of the five who died, Dominick Pezzulo (played by Jay Hernandez) survived the first tower collapse, but not the second. The real Will Jimeno says of his friend, "He was a cop, a schoolteacher, a father, a son, but in the end, he was a great American."


Movies like "World Trade Center" — and "United 93," which preceded it — don't come along very often. More should.

There are many scenes that will cause audiences to reach for the tissues, but the last one is a true resurrection moment. As Jimeno, first, and then McLoughlin are lifted out of what could have been their graves, they are passed from hand-to-hand along a gauntlet made up of their colleagues, more than 50 of whom are real-life members of the PAPD, the NYPD and FDNY who were flown to Los Angeles for the scene.


Whatever one thinks of Oliver Stone, the man knows how to make movies. This is one of his best. It deserves an Oscar in so many categories. It also deserves the thanks of a grateful nation. Go and see it beginning Aug. 9 and make him a large profit so he might consider inspiring us again, as his predecessors so often did during Hollywood's Golden Age.

 

[dmp]

That REALLY gives me goosebumps...amazing.



I haven't seen Flight93...likely won't watch this film for awhile, either, however.

 

[-Cp]

dmp.. you know how much I HATE the theaters? Well... i'd make an exception if you wanna go see this one..

 

[Dan]

Cp, that avatar is horrifying.

 

[Relay]

I wanna see it but it wont show here until Oct.

 

[Bonnie]

I am seeing it with my parents as Darling fiance is not ready to...

 

[Relay]

I am seeing it with my parents as Darling fiance is not ready to...

Why not??

 

[Bonnie]

Why not??

He works there in that area and I don't think he's ready to relive it just yet.

 

[Relay]

He works there in that area and I don't think he's ready to relive it just yet.

Okay i understand that, but i can still not understand beacuse i havent been experienced this in real life myself only thru the TV. But why not share your experience in my 9-11 thread about this like what you did that day and how you got to know what happend. Thats the 9-11 thread is about.

 

[Mr.Conley]

Are they donating any of the profits to 9/11 families, the NYPD, or the NYFD?

 

[Mr.Conley]

Link to the preview:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBbw8xBKS6o[/ame]

 

[-Cp]

Are they donating any of the profits to 9/11 families, the NYPD, or the NYFD?

Nope - those folks already have recieved more then enough money....

 

[Mr.Conley]

Nope - those folks already have recieved more then enough money....

Then I doubt I'll be seeing it. I don't want to enrich someone making a living off of other people's suffering without some compensation to the victims.

 

[theHawk]

But its ok for the families to make money off the deaths of their loved ones?



9/11 is a part of American history, we don't need to pay family members everytime we talk about it or depict it in movies. Do we pay all the families of WWII when we make movies about WWII?

 

[Dan]

9/11 is a part of American history, we don't need to pay family members everytime we talk about it or depict it in movies. Do we pay all the families of WWII when we make movies about WWII?

I would argue that it's not exactly "historical" yet, it's only been five years. The feelings are very much still there for survivors and victims' families.

WWII movies depict soldiers fighting on battlefields against other soldiers for the honor of their countries. 9/11 movies depict real-life civilians being murdered by the thousands in horrific ways by insane people.

 

[Mr.Conley]

But its ok for the families to make money off the deaths of their loved ones?



9/11 is a part of American history, we don't need to pay family members everytime we talk about it or depict it in movies. Do we pay all the families of WWII when we make movies about WWII?

If the 9/11 families or the 9/11 memorial don't deserve anything from the movie, why does Viacom?

Hell, I don't care if it goes to the familes, at least honor the people whose deaths they're using to make a buck in some way.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

Are they donating any of the profits to 9/11 families, the NYPD, or the NYFD?

Ten percent of the opening weekend split between several charities and the 9/11 memorial.

http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/26/movie_news/main1839494.shtml

 

[Dan]

Ten percent of the opening weekend split between several charities and the 9/11 memorial.

...while 90 percent of the entire profit goes in the pockets of some Hollywood bigwigs who couldn't care less about the movie outside of its profitability.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

Well, yeah, I'm sure they were in it to make money. That's kind of the point of making movies, especially one that has a big budget.

 

[Dan]

No, I know, I just hate the general attitude (not necessarily in this thread) of "it's your duty as an American to see this movie out of respect!" when those who made it are just interested in money.