Ellington

It's the movie that we all knew was coming. From the day of the September 11th attacks there was talk that it would one day be the next disaster blockbuster, like "Pearl Harbor" or "Titanic." But I don't think any of us knew it would be this soon.

If you are reading this expecting me to use this article to ransack the film industry's greed and lack of morals for making "World Trade Center," I'm afraid you are wasting your time. I will do what I have always done and look at the movie for what it is: a heartfelt suspense story of two police officers who were trapped 20 feet below ground zero in an attempt to evacuate the North Tower before it collapsed.

Despite my bias against the subject matter, I found the movie to be quite good. Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena effectively take us through the hellish experiences of John McLoughlin and Will Jemeno on the day of the attacks.

Focusing mainly on McLoughlin, Jemeno and their families, it also realistically depicts what happened to others that day.

There is extreme confusion since no one knows what's really going on. We never hear the name Osama Bin Ladin. We hear that the Pentagon is attacked, but we don't really know by whom. This lack of detail is the very thing that makes "World Trade Center" tasteful enough to watch.

I was worried that everyone in the movie would inexplicably have complete understanding of what was going on; fortunately the writers did not make that mistake.

Nick Damici's performance as Lt. Kassimatis, a rogue marine who goes searching the wreckage for survivors, was overdone. The events in this movie are very serious, and it's important that the characters portray that. Damici. however, is so over the top that I couldn't take him seriously at all.

Sept. 11th didn't just see the great evil that mankind is capable of, it also saw the determination and bravery of Americans faced with great tragedy. The last few minutes of the movie emphasizes that the sacrifice made by the Police and Fire fighters that day should not be forgotten.

While true, it doesn't justify making this movie only five years after Sept. 11. None of us will ever forget that day or the sacrifices made; it's insulting to think that we need a movie to remind us. I guess the one good thing about making it now is that when it's remade 30 years from now it will have a cheesy romance sub-plot overshadowing the real story. You know I'm right.

This is normally the part of the review where I tell you to go see the movie or save your money, but it's tricky to do that on this one. If you have strong objections to seeing it, I don't blame you—by all means, save your money. But if you do want to see it, go for it. It's an emotional, suspenseful and compelling movie, and the acting, apart from Damici's performance, is excellent.