WORLD TRADE CENTERS

By Christopher Rice

Because the story is based on true events and people, it required a gentle and respectable approach of direction not only for the people the story it portrayed but for the audiences that remember September 11th. Oliver Stone directed the story and subject matter with a sensitive eye creating a brilliant story of true heroism while respecting audiences’ memory of the incident by being unobtrusive and inoffensive.

The sparse morning streets of New York City resemble your memory of driving to the airport way to early but for others, such as cabbies, bus drivers, business people, and police officers, the cold blue color of the morning is the only peaceful moment of their day. The film’s beginning wraps up everyone’s recollection of how the day started … normal.

The film is one of the great stories where a couple characters are the center of the story amongst a national disaster. The relationships are genuine, heart-touching, and identifiable just as the characters are merely your next door neighbors ... that rise to the level of heroism at the right place and right time.

Oliver Stone deserves a round of applause for his unobtrusive approach to the story, for the audience never feels that visuals of the actual incident are jammed down their throats. The story is truly told from the officers’ points of view, therefore, creating an easier story to take part with. The best way to put it is that the story is told from, ironically yet realistically, distant point of view even though the characters are literally under the incident.

As the credits roll and the curtains close, the audience can’t help but look to one another with a loving eye and smile with patriotic love and friendship.