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World Trade Center
[HD DVD] R0 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (2nd February 2007). |
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The Film
 When originally announced many believed that Oliver Stone would be back doing his best conspiracy nut impression yet again, this time with 9/11 as the fodder, but that is far from the truth. "World Trade Center" was a total surprise, it wasn't a conspiracy movie, it wasn't a typical Oliver Stone film, it dealt with its subject matter tastefully, and the most earth-shattering surprise: Once in a while Nicolas Cage can actually act! yes it's true while the actor has made his fair share of crappy movies such as "Kiss Of Death" (1995), "Snake Eyes" (1998). "8MM" (1999), "Gone in Sixty Seconds" (2000), "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" (2001), "Windtalkers" (2002) and let's not forget last year's god-awful train wreck remake of "The Wicker Man" the list can actually go on and on and you can probably also add this year's "Ghost Rider" to that list (Perhaps I'm being a little too harsh but the trailers for this film don't inspire any confidence...at all), however despite all that wasted film stock Cage can in fact deliver a fine performance and he's proved it on several occasions most notably in 1995's "Leaving Las Vegas" which he won an Oscar for, he also proved it in 2002's "Adaptation", "Matchstick Men" (2003), "Lord of War" (2005), "The Weather Man" (2005) and finally in this film. Oliver Stone has created a very different film from what we're used to, in what I can only assume is an attempt to make people forget the fact he did the dreadful "Alexander" (2004), which I don't think we can ever forget it but "World Trade Center" is a good start. The film is based around two Port Authority Cops, Sergent John McLoughlin (Cage) and Officer Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) that are trapped under the debris, it's a simple concept but one that's executed brilliantly. Although the story takes place on 9/11 this film is hardly about that, ultimately it's a tale of survival and the strength of the human spirit. The film's tag line pretty much sums it up: 'On that day the world saw evil, two men saw something else'. "World Trade Center" is a solid film, it works on many levels: the overall themes are those in which we all can relate to, the performances and the attention to detail. While the story shifts from the two men stuck in the rubble, their families and a borderline psycho-patriot Dave Karnes (Michael Shannon) who searches through the chaos for any survivors, the central focus of the film is on McLoughlin and Jimeno, and how they managed to stay alive long enough to be rescued. The challenges for these actors looks incredible, they were placed within the tight confines of the set, they had all manner of debris on top of them yet both turned out career best work. Cage in particular did a commendable job considering all we say was his head for nearly 2 hours. In many ways Cage was both the strength and weakness of this film, weakness because while watching it I wasn't thinking that the character was real but that it was Nicolas Cage (I suppose that's what happens when you hire a 'name' actor to portray a real person). Stone and crew have also clearly researched this subject thoroughly, and is displayed on screen with the devastatingly accurate ground zero set that was built for the production. It feels so real that you swear they filmed it then and there. The general sentiment is that this film wasn't what I was expecting, and to be honest I was pleasantly surprised that Stone didn't make any political statements, which must have been hard considering his past and his feelings towards President Bush. These things aside I still felt the film was nowhere near as powerful as that 'other' 9/11 film, Paul Greengrass' "United 93", usually I don't like comparing films because I believe they should stand on their own merits, in this case I simply can't help it. In all respects "World Trade Center" feels like a Hollywood project, it feels like a studio picture event though the events are real and the characters are based on real people, "United 93" had the opposite effect it feels realistic and for that reason alone it's better than this film. I guess if you had to choose I'd go with "United 93" which edges out slightly ahead, but that's not to say this film shouldn't be seen.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 this 1080p high definition transfer was encoded using VC-1 and looks about as perfect as one would like. The image is clean and crustal clear with fine detail present, the colors are accurate especially skin tones. I found that black levels are bold, defined and deep and that shadow detail was consistent throughout the transfer. The standard DVD release included some minor edge enhancement and artefacting issues and I'm happy to report that these are absent from this beautiful image.
Audio
Three audio tracks are included in English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its English track. Having recently reviewed the standard DVD release I found the 5.1 track on that disc to be excellent, in fact almost reference quality so the expectations for this Dolby Plus track were quite high and I'm pleased to write that those expectations were breached. The overall quality was rich and as dynamic as it's standard DVD soundtrack but with a little bit more punch. The aggressive elements are much more enhanced and feel weighty, while the ambient elements reach further in its overall range. The music is beautifully rendered for this stunning sound mix. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, English, French, and Spanish.
Extras
Paramount have included a stunning array of extras for this 2-disc edition that includes 2 audio commentaries, deleted and extended scenes, 2 documentaries, a collection of featurettes, a photo gallery, TV spots and the film's theatrical trailer. Below is a closer look at these supplements. DISC ONE: First up we have a feature-length audio commentary by director/co-producer Oliver Stone. Stone meanders along with his somber and droll voice making this a dreary track. He remains screen-specific for the most part setting the scenes and commenting on working with the cast and crew, creating reality, the build-up leading up to the planes hitting the towers and the challenges posed in filming in tight confines among other things. He comments on the level of workmanship the crew achieved in recreating ground zero as well as provides some trivia along the way including the help of real NYC police, fire and rescue services in the film. Among the most interesting bits of information he dishes out includes factual procedures and event regarding the Port Authority Police. If you can get past his boring monotone voice then this track will unfurl with a host of information. Next is a second feature-length audio commentary by real life survivor Will Jimeno and rescuers Scott Strauss, John Busching and Paddy McGee . Aside from piling on the praise for the cast and crew for getting everything right (even the little things) this is also a track worth listening to (although there is a lot of repeat information given in the video extras on the second disc). They also comment on how hard the actors worked to maintain a level of authenticity and basically comment on what's happening onscreen and provide some real world reference to it. The footage also acts as a catalyst for a lot of memories from that day with spurs on a fair amount of conversation about what these men did to save the lives of the two cops stuck under the rubble. Going into this track I expected these men to break down at some point, but to their credit they continued to talk throughout the track providing as much background as they possibly could. Overall it's an excellent track. Next up are a collection of 9 deleted and extended scenes that include optional audio commentary by director/co-producer Oliver Stone. Stone provides some information as to where these scenes take place sequentially and why they were removed from the final edit. The scenes included are: - "Extended Locker Room" runs for 1 minute 40 seconds, this scene includes some additional dialogue as the cops get ready and suit up for the day ahead of them. - "Extended Roll Call" runs for 2 minutes 5 seconds, this scene includes a few more names called out and a brief inspection of their firearms plus a moment that provides some back story between Jimeno, Pezzulo and Rodrigues. - "Concerned Business Woman" runs for 49 seconds, a business woman points out the people jumping from the buildings. - "Fireman Johnny" which runs for 55 seconds, while in the lobby the crew come across a fire fighter covered in blood. - "Original Hole 2 Through Allison Making Lunch" runs for 5 minutes 27 seconds, Will has his hands caught and tries to free himself as they talk about what could have caused the collapse. Meanwhile Allison prepares lunch as they watch updates on the news. - "Judy Gets Word Jay Is Okay" runs for 2 minutes 20 seconds, Judy gets relief when her husband calls her to let her know that he's OK. - "John's Ghost" runs for 1 minute 31 seconds, John hallucinates about seeing his own ghost. - "Barbecue Flashback" runs for 1 minute 2 seconds, a cheesy flashback with John flipping burgers on the grill looking over to his pregnant wife. - "Paramedic Tends to John" runs for 1 minute 46 seconds, after being pulled out tells John that he remembers meeting his father. DISC TWO: These supplements are all presented in 1080p with the exception of the "Q&A" clip which is in standard definition. First up on this disc is "The Making of World Trade Center" a documentary that is broken into 3 parts that includes: - "Committing to the Story" which runs for 15 minutes 15 seconds, in this segment we learn about what interested the director and producers in taking on this project, the challenges faced in telling this story, getting to know the real people and portraying them onscreen accurately and with respect. - The second part is entitled "Shooting in N.Y. and L.A." and runs for 20 minutes 13 seconds, this takes a close look at the production process and how certain scenes were shot in New York while others where shot in L.A. out of respect for the people of New York City, especially concerning the ground zero set. The segment also looks at the help the filmmakers received from the two survivors plus the fire, police and rescue crews that were flown out to L.A. to be apart of the film. We also get a glimpse into the production design, photography, lighting, costume design and use of color among other things. - The final part of this documentary is entitled "Closing Wounds" and runs for 18 minutes 12 seconds, in this segment we examine how the actors prepared for the close quarters and darkness that faced them on the set as well as re-creating what happens to you mentally and physically, the clip looks at the shooting of the Jesus visions, Karns' story as well as focuses on the music and sound design of the film. Next up is "Common Sacrifices" a documentary in 2 parts: - "Rescue" which runs for 27 minutes 32 seconds, this recounts the real events that took place from the perspective of the survivors, their friends and family as well as the rescuers that helped them on that day. This gives us a rough idea as to what these people went through from the moment the buildings collapsed to the point where the two guys were pulled out of the rubble in total detail. - "Recovery" runs for 26 minutes 59 seconds, this looks at the extensive surgeries and medical attention these two men received and the challenges they faced recovering both physically and mentally. "Building Ground Zero" is the next featurette and runs for 25 minutes 10 seconds, this is an extensive look at the design and construction of the ground zero set in L.A., this includes the exterior wreckage set and the interior 'hole' that our two heroes are trapped in. The process includes the meticulous research, modelling the set and putting it together as a series of large interchangeable pieces. "Visual and Special Effects" is a featurette which runs for 12 minutes 9 seconds and focuses on the CGI elements in the film which were mainly used to extended sets and add depth to certain scenes while remaining as realistic as possible, this clip looks at the various effects needed for the film and how the filmmakers achieved them. Following that is "Oliver Stone's New York" a featurette which runs for 24 minutes 26 seconds, Stone takes us on a tour around the city in which he grew up in, he tells us which parts of the city are his favorite areas as he shares stories about growing up near the Hudson river. Addtionally we also get a "Q&A with Oliver Stone" featurette recorded from the "David Lean Lecture Series" and runs for 13 minutes 4 seconds. Hosted by film journalist Mark Kermode, the Q&A took place on September 6, 2006 as Stone fields a variety of questions in this insightful and excellent supplement that sees Stone defending the film among other things. The film's original theatrical trailer is also included and runs for 2 minutes 34 seconds. Plus a series of 5 TV spots which include: - "Families United" which runs for 33 seconds. - "Never Knew" which runs for 32 seconds. - "Hope" which runs for 32 seconds. - "Survive Alt." which runs for 32 seconds. - "Trailer Countdown" which runs for 1 minute 2 seconds. Rounding out the extras is a photo gallery which includes a series of 54 stills taken during the production.
Overall
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