First of all, compared to United 93, World Trade Center takes on a more personal approach to 9/11, focusing on the story of two Port Authority police officers that become trapped inside an elevator shaft of the main concourse between the towers when the first tower collapses.

I like how the movie succeeds in creating a just-another-ordinary-day atmosphere in the begining, almost as if nothing out of the ordinary is bound to happen during the next 130 minutes or so. However, you are quickly introduced into the dynamic and dramatic nature of the events of that day when news about the first plane hitting gets to the emergency services.

Both Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña do a good job at portraying officers John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno respectively, and give a good sense of authenticity to the entire movie. The drama of being trapped under the rubble of the WTC and not knowing what really happened, the fear of not getting to see your loved ones again and the ever present risk of going to sleep and not waking up is only interrupted by memories and moments of sheer as the two strugle for survival. Though the film is unable to establish a connection between the audience and emergency personnel as a whole, it does a pretty good job at making you care for the two cops, in case the reality of the events portrayed is not enough.

When it comes to the visual part, World Trade Center does well considering that most of the shots are actually under rubble or indoors at the families of the two officers. I would say the scene with the burning towers seen from the ground and the final scene showing Ground Zero are enough to give you goose bumps as it gives you a sense of scale, and thus a good sense of what trying to rescue people from the towers must have been like.

The soundtrack fits the whole idea of the movie. Personally I liked the part with "Only in America" playing at the radio. The music was at times an unnecessary adition, cause it adds even more dramatic weight to some shots and that may be considered manipulation by some, as 9/11 is a very sensitive subject, but overall, the story is clean and focuses more on facts rather than just visuals plus music, like some productions often do.

And yes, facts, the key ingredient to every based-on-a-true-story type of movie. Except a few minor details, I've found World Trade Center to be historically accurate for the most part. And in case you're wondering why Sgt. Thomas, the marine who rescued McLoughlin and Jimeno is white in the movie when in reality he is black, that's because his identity was unknown at the time of filming, and thus they only knew him as Sgt. Thomas and portrayed him as a white marine.

I encourage you to go see this movie if you haven't already. It's a good depiction of the way 9/11 affected those two officers and not only them. Oliver Stone did a good job on this one. And as far as awards go, it has won two: Hollywood Movie of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival and Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. Overall, World Trade Center deserves a solid 9.
All
RATING: 9/10

Directed by: Oliver Stone
Writing credits: Andrea Berloff (written by), John McLoughlin (true story), Donna McLoughlin (true story), William Jimeno (true story) & Allison Jimeno (true story)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena, Jay Hernandez, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Dorff, Michael Shannon & Patti D'Arbanville

Also Known As: September (USA) (working title) & Untitled Oliver Stone/September 11 Project (USA) (working title)
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images and language
Runtime: 129 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital / SDDS / DTS
Certification: Philippines:PG-13 / Spain:13 / Peru:14 / Argentina:13 / Argentina:16 / Italy:T / Ireland:12A / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) / Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) / Netherlands:12 / UK:12A / Australia:M / Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) / Singapore:PG / USA:PG-13 (certificate #42823) / Finland:K-11 / Portugal:M/12 / Hong Kong:IIA

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes