World Trade Center - the movie

My wife and I took a rare break from all the kids and saw World Trade Center.

Not exactly a relaxing evening.

I entered the theater with dread, fully expecting one of the most emotional- and disturbing - movie experiences of my life.

That didn't happen, and I left a bit disappointed.

Oh, it's a very good movie. Despite being made by Oliver Stone it eschews any controversial stance and avoids politics, and whatever the man's faults he is a powerful filmaker. It's masterfully done.

But the movie focuses only on the story of two Port Authority cops trapped beneath the WTC, and to a lesser extend their wives. They didn't see the planes hit, so you don't see that happen; they were inside the buildings, so the collapse is not shown. They don't realize the scope of the attack, or that it was an attack at all. In fact, throughout the movie they believe the report of a plane hitting Tower 2 was nothing more than a mistake.

There are some stories that are so large, so grandiose, that we can only grasp the scope of the tragedy when its broken down into manageable pieces  Titanic springs to mind. 

But we're not 90 years removed from the event . There are few days in history that have left such an indelible mark on an entire nation. It isn't New York's story, not alone at least; and giving the movie such a narrow focus limits its ability to move us.

Had it shown, as I feared, the impact of the planes, the terror of those trapped inside, the frantic escape down the stairs, the collapse - well, it would run the risk of overwhelming our emotions.

But it would be honest, and it would stand as a worthy document of that horrible day.

As it is, I think it'll be something that will be pushed aside over time, supplanted by movies that dare to acknowledge how widespread the fear and chaos and distress were on 9/11.

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In a disgusting bit of ghetto-ness, a couple brought there 18 month old, and a four year old to see WTC. Nothing like mentally scarring a child before she can even talk in sentences.

I've just about had it with movie theaters lately, and I LOVE GOING TO THE MOVIES. But I can't stand the lousy clientele that seem to favor them in the last few years.