Oliver Stone directs this harsh look at survival in the midst of tragedy a mere five years after the Trade Center disaster. Where many will expect tragic scenes of planes crashing into the building and countless tales of life and death, the focus is instead concentrated. This allows the viewer to feel, however slightly, what September 11th was from the eyes of those directly involved.

Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena play John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno respectively, two New York City fire fighters trapped beneath rubble with little chance to see another day. Briefly, the film switches to the families of these men, showing the stress they endured as time elapsed with no news as to the whereabouts of their missing members.

Stone directs the film shrouded in darkness, filing the screen with dimly lit faces of the actors for the majority of the running time. Their dialogue is critical to the film, changing in tone from scared, to joking, to despair, and finally to hopelessness. The movie never drags as its two hour running time moves on, and cuts to the families occur at the proper time.

News footage strewn about in backgrounds and eerily real special effects depicting the towers after the planes collided add the depressing memories. A strong, character based build up to the eventual collapse of the towers adds to the credit of excellent filmmaking, rapidly establishing enough information to carry the story through. The uncertainty of the scenario is also powerful material.

World Trade Center, much like Paul Greengrass’s 9/11 effort, United 93, is a difficult movie to watch. You’ll likely never want to see it again, though the reasons are proper and have nothing to do with quality. It emotionally breaks the viewer down, and even when their story is finished, there is no happy ending to be found.

A remarkable transfer to the HD format, World Trade Center suffers from only minor grain during certain scenes. Black levels as the men are trapped are flawless, rich, and consistent. Before the collapse, colors are simply brilliant, and the details of created World Trade Center are fully realized on a home format with the added resolution. Sharpness and clarity are astonishing.

Nominated for an award because of its audio, this crystal clear Dolby Digital Plus mix is as stunning as the video. Falling debris fills the entire sound field, and a masterful shot of Maggie Gyllenhaal standing in the middle of a street surrounds the viewer with countless broadcasts as if she’s taking this all in along with the audience. Bass is powerful to the point of being required to lower some settings. Contrast between the low level dialogue and crumbling heaps of metal creates a far more immersive experience, and should be a requirement for full appreciation.