Every adult American needs to see Oliver Stone's great film, World Trade Center. I saw the movie on Friday night, and for me, watching it was a profound and gut wrenching experience. It brings home the inescapable fact of the horror, terror and pain inflicted on two good Americans-Wil Jimano and Sgt. John McLoughlin-who, on that terrible day, were just going about their lives-working as two Port Authority policemen.
There is also the story of another amazing American, retired Marine David Karnes. After the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, Mr. Karnes (who was in Connecticut) donned his Marine fatigues, went directly to the rubble that had been the WTC and started searching for any survivors. While searching he heard a noise made by Wil Jimeno. Through his and an army of rescue workers' efforts, Wil Jimano and John McLoughlin's lives were saved.
Both Jimano and McLoughlin were deeply involved in the making of this film which is true to the events of that day. From the New York Times (subscription required):
Nicolas Cage, who plays the taciturn Sergeant McLoughlin, says the movie is not meant to entertain. ''I see it as storytelling which depicts history,'' he says. ''This is what happened. Look at it. 'Yeah, I remember that.' Generation after generation goes by, they'll have 'United 93,' 'World Trade Center,' to recall that history.''
Whether Mr. Stone set out to make a historical drama or a dramatic history isn't entirely clear. Mr. Jimeno and Mr. McLoughlin, who have both since retired from the Port Authority, say the script and the production took very few liberties except for the sake of time compression
Many of the rescue personnel from 9/11 participated in the re-enactment of the rescue in the movie:
With Mr. Jimeno and Mr. McLoughlin vouching for the filmmakers, more rescuers asked to be included, meaning not only that dozens of New York uniformed officers would fly to Los Angeles to re-enact the rescue of the two men, but that there were more sources of information to replace Ms. Berloff's best guesses with vivid memories.
Adult Americans-be sure to go and see this movie.
vadkins
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