The recent movie “World Trade Center” has received criticism from many people who have said that it’s too soon to make a movie about September 11. This movie is a tribute to those who lost their lives, and to those who survived the terrorist attack. It is a story about the survival of two men who, despite the odds, managed to stay alive.

Based on the true story of two 9/11 survivors, the film centers around two New York Port Authority police officers, John McLaughlin (Nicolas Cage) and William Jimeno (Michael Pena), who went into the World Trade Center on that tragic day to help rescue the trapped and wounded victims. But upon entering the tower, the building collapses, leaving them trapped and badly injured. At that point it becomes a race against time for the two men as they lay injured, hoping to be rescued.

While the men are trapped, they struggle for hours with the desperate hope to stay alive, despite the dreadful odds. Much of the film shows the agonizing anticipation of their two families at home, devastated by the thought that their loved ones could be dead. The film is dispersed with flashbacks of McLaughlin and Jimeno’s daily lives prior to that tragic day. This helps the audience get a feel for the horrible reality of what it would be like in such a situation. The story shows the power of love and family as the men’s reflections on their loved ones is what keeps their hope alive.

The film shows the courageous work of the our nation’s Marines, police officers, fire fighters and other brave Americans during those fateful days. While both men were trapped at least twenty feet below the rubble, the movie does justice in showing the major challenge it would take to attempt such rescues. Despite knowing that at any moment the wreckage could completely collapse and kill them both, two heroic rescuers in particular stepped up and risked their lives.

This movie gives an accurate portrayal of the events, as well as the emotional devastation during the crisis. This is owed to the first-hand accounts of actual witnesses. Andrea Berloff, the writer of “World Trade Center,” got the true story from John McLaughlin himself, along with others who shared their experience with her. Oliver Stone did a fantastic job directing this emotional film, and even added real life clips straight from September 11, 2001.

As we come up on the five year anniversary of the 9/11 disaster, it seems fitting that we all share the emotions and heartbreak felt throughout the world – for all the innocent victims and heroes lost on that day. The film “World Trade Center” was an amazing depiction of how one catastrophic event could bring millions of Americans together.