** When was the last "good" Oliver Stone film? We might finally have it.
** But it pains me to say his latest effort, "World Trade Center" doesn't feel "great." Yes, it's one of the best films of the year. But it doesn't feel as special as "United 93."
** Attended a promotional screening of "WTC" tonight (it opens Wednesday). And it proves this controversial director, when he puts his mind to it, when he's forced to put his pontificating, conspiratorial speeches away -- still has a gift for superior cinematic storytelling. Stone seemed to have lost it in recent years with his talkie screenplays -- and candidly, he needed a break after his last debacle, "Alexander."
** But I'm not sure "WTC" is "A+ outstanding" as critics are now hailing. It's getting a lot of press because it doesn't feel like an Oliver Stone movie. You might say this is a good thing, especially for this subject, but some among you, if you choose to see "WTC," will find the film almost Spielberg-like, without the John Williams music. It's a solid piece of work, horrifying and inspiring, but it doesn't feel revelatory or new, especially AFTER its first 40 minutes.
** Remember "Saving Private Ryan?" What made that picture great was its first 30 minutes. The D-Day landing. The rest of that film settled into a groove that felt familiar but still heroic. It remains a spectacular technical achievement.
** Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" feels the same way. But it then goes off somewhere else.
** Its first 40 minutes are dynamic, fluid and heart-pounding. You never see the planes. You see a shadow and noises. That's it. The collapse of the towers is heard as successive, ear-pounding, thunderous thuds from "the inside." This is a different take to what's familiar to us from television news and photographs.
** The rest of "WTC" then settles into a "groove" that feels familiar, e.g., the trapped cops, trying to keep each other awake to avoid certain death, claustrophic feelings of madness, waiting families, the search and rescue, the hospitals. It's indeed amazing that only 20 people were pulled out of the wreckage alive after the towers collapsed. This is the story about victims #18 and #19.
** I'm not going to be harsh with a picture like this. It IS faithful to what really happened, reportedly NO dramatic licenses taken, and it bills itself as a recording of true events. Note "WTC" is NOT "based or inspired by a true story." It is in fact a faithful recording of "actual events." There is a difference, and this explains "WTC's" strengths and weaknesses, and where the comparison to "Private Ryan" ends. "Private Ryan" is composite fiction. "WTC" is not.
** Despite awesome production values and a faithful story (right down to the actual words spoken by actors playing real-life characters) -- the audience demands a film like this to stay close to the truth. But the result for staying on point like this is having several moments that come precariously close to parodying script construction found in films which air on the Lifetime Channel.
** You might say, "this can't be helped," but I'm not so sure.
** "United 93" was devoid of sentimentalism, and much of what occurs in that film felt new and gut-wrenching. In fairness, it's because we don't have as much information about Flight 93 as we do about the WTC. "United 93" is a "you are there" harrowing experience and should be seen by all.
** By contrast, Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" is dead-on accurate, and feels more commercial. It's because Stone has plucked from among its many stories -- one that was uplifting and inspirational. He didn't scatter his vision, mixing the good with the bad. He's getting credit by proving he CAN do a film like this, a film about people coming together without getting political. Hence in the hands of any other director, you could argue that "WTC" might feel less special.
** But this is Oliver Stone, because this is "his vision," it demands your attention in the same way Ang Lee demanded your attention for his overrated "Brokeback Mountain." I'm not saying "World Trade Center" is as overrated as "Brokeback Mountain," but it is being over-praised, just a little.
** Oliver Stone decided to tell a story about ordinary people, not heads of state, not terrorists, not the "whys" of 9/11 -- and this, he surmises, is what people should be reminded of. All of the bad stuff has been filtered out. You can argue that this is a valid point of view, vs. one that's nuanced to death with lots of "grays." And I respect his choice. I didn't want to see a picture filled with a bunch of speeches or political villains. The emotional highlight of the film, much written about, turns out to be a gung-ho Marine who drove all the way from Connecticut to insert himself into the rescue. When he declares, "I am a United States Marine, and you are my mission!" -- the sun finally breaks through after relentless agony, and the audience lets out a loud sigh of relief.
** Everyone applauded when the film ended -- (I did too). The black screen is filled with text, a postscript summarizing what became of the people we saw. So "World Trade Center" concludes as a crowd pleaser. It deserves its accolades, though it's not, in my view, ground breaking or titanic. It deserves to be seen. Mainstream movie-goers, if they can BRING THEMSELVES to see a film like this, will love it. I liked it. A lot. Yet if my account feels schizophrenic, it's because it is. I know I saw something good, I'm just not sure it's great. Oscar worthy? I don't know. Right now it's right up there, but not a classic by any means.
** In the end, my opinion doesn't matter. What was amazing was seeing a TON of young adults in the audience. And I couldn't help feeling they chose to came because 9/11 is a more defining moment in their lives than my own. And I think it's because young people, over the next three decades, will have more time to ponder 9/11's true meaning. I like seeing young people move away from escapism and get into a film like this. That's all I have to say for now. Maybe more later, after others have seen it. I'm still turning this strange movie experience over in my head.
-koose.
