Director: Oliver Stone

The story behind World Trade Center centers around John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Peña), two New York City police officers who get caught in the rubble of the September 11th terrorists attacks. The movie is scattered with Hollywood stars such as Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Dorff, and a cameo from Viola Davis.

Cage delivers a forgettable performance in one of the worst adaptations of a heroic event I have ever seen. The story itself is nothing short of outstanding, but the delivery is mundane. I found it truly difficult to get attached to the characters and their families, which made the movie’s absurd amount of sentimental moments hard to jerk tears.

My final opinion on this movie is that it was simply made too soon. A 2006 release date, five years removed from the 9/11 attacks, this movie lacked spirit and historical delivery. I found the film to be a major cash-grab that didn’t do justice to some of the heroic and marvelous moments that took place. I would’ve enjoyed a better connection to the background of the characters rather than just a thrust into the scenes of 9/11. The anticipation leading up to the events was already expected, so it would’ve been nice to actually learn about the characters and their backgrounds during that time.

Partika Points: 3.1 / 10