The Guys (2002)

7/10

kacee410 October 2004

I almost never cry at movies, but Anthony LaPaglia had me tearing up all through this movie. I'm not a big fan of soppy platitudes about 9-11, but this movie was very touching. It dismissed a lot of the big-picture stuff in favour of the minutia of people's lives that make them worth knowing about. This is a story about humans, not heroes, which I found refreshing.

Sigourney Weaver is also very good, as usual.

My only complaint is that there were a few instances of repetition in the writing. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be deliberate, as in the character repeating himself out of angst and stress, or if it was bad script editing. I noticed it though because it was jarring, which means if it was supposed to be there, it wasn't handled expertly by the writer. That could have used some polishing.

Other than that, I thought this was a good movie, especially if you're a LaPaglia fan as I am.

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A subtle, powerful film; well-written, true to life.

revbgreer21 July 2004

As a fire service chaplain and critical incident stress management provider, I worked with FDNY at Ground Zero, starting four days after 9/11. Rotating on night, evening and day shifts, I wandered along the edges of the WTC debris field and nearby side streets to check in with resting firefighters. I met an FDNY captain that lost nine "brothers," an FDNY lieutenant that lost his firefighter son-in-law. One FDNY member said: "We all lost somebody in 'The Pile.'" One conversation stands out. Seeing the small cross on my lapel and asking for a blessing, a lone firefighter operating a pumper vented for at least 15 minutes. "Do you realize how many Little League coaches we've lost, how many kids in this city lost their coaches, mentors and neighbors, how many husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and cousins we've lost?" That's the point of the film: the human side of such a great loss, beyond and beneath all the heroism hype.

Anthony LaPaglia brilliantly portrays an FDNY fire captain for what he was at heart: an ordinary guy; thus, the film's name: "The Guys." The eight eulogies LaPaglia's character had to deliver at eight funerals on behalf of his fire company were much more about ordinary people that served and died in extraordinary circumstances: "guys" that went to church picnics, to their kids' ball games, that fixed just about anything, that could (or couldn't) cook, etc. LaPaglia's portrayal captured the essence of so many firefighters: paramilitary, loyal, straightfoward, problem solvers, action (versus reflection) oriented people that love "The Job;" people generally not given to wordsmithing or "being in touch with their feelings." Yet, given the right encouragement (as from Weaver's character), we discover the deeper nuances and sensitivities of their humanity. They are indeed very ordinary people called upon to perform extraordinary deeds.

It's a subtle film that invites the viewer to ponder the immense human loss we suffered on 9/11/01 -- the loss of some three thousand souls, each with a life story worth telling beyond and beneath whatever they may have done for a living. Even more, the film invites us to reflect upon our own reactions and responses to 9/11 as "ordinary people affected by extraordinary circumstances," seeking to find a "new normal" after a day that will live forever, with other days like it, in infamy.

My thanks to all that had a part in the writing and making of this little gem of a film.

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1/10

Vapid, nearly as amusing as boredom allows.

toad-118 March 2003

We know that firefighters and rescue workers are heroes: an idée reçue few would challenge. Friends and family of these and others who perished in the attacks on the World Trade Center might well be moved by this vapid play turned film. A sweet, earnest, though tongue-tied fireman recalls what he can of lost colleagues to a benumbed journalist who converts his fragments into a eulogy. They ponder the results. He mumbles some more, she composes another eulogy, etc., etc.

The dreadful events that provoked the need for several thousand eulogies is overwhelmingly sad, but this plodding insipid dramatization is distressingly boring.

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10/10

Speaking for the Survivors

mysticwit22 November 2003

One of the most compelling ways to tell a story is to let it tell itself, without embellishment. In The Guys, Anne Nelson's story does just that.

The events of September 11, 2001 are a very volatile subject; Nelson's story stays focused on how to talk about firefighters lost in one engine company at the World Trade Center. It humanizes the event and the emotional aftershock and side steps everything else. Simpson skillfully blends voice-over, text, storytelling, simulated archive footage, along with traditional film-making, keeping the spirit of the original stage play intact. It would be easy to tell such a tale with force fed melodrama, but instead, the audience is allowed breathing room to process right along with the characters on the screen.

Through sheer providence a journalist, was asked to assist a Fire Department captain to write eight eulogies for men lost on September 11. It's all told primarily through La Paglia and Weaver, who both turn in solid performances. Weaver embodies everyone who is the voice of every thought ricocheting through the head of everyone who's not directly effected. La Paglia's delivers an understated but eloquent performance of a man who can't afford the luxury of his own grief; through La Paglia, we see struggling to find a voice for the unspeakable.

There is a lot to be said on the subject of September 11; this film is a reminder of perspective.

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1/10

Most boring movie ever.

NapaRick25 June 2013

Warning: Spoilers

Just the format of this movie tells you everything: Two people sit in a room and dramatically discuss the death of Firefighters on 9/11. One of them is Sigourney Weaver. The other is a guy who does nothing but CRY. Could this be any worse? I thought Dumb and Dumber was really bad and childish with waaay over the top fart jokes but THIS tops it beyond any doubt. This is pure DRAMA. I mean if most chick flicks are perhaps 30% drama and Celine Dion hits maybe 35%, this is TWO PEOPLE SITTING IN A ROOM, the woman asking questions and the guy CONSTANTLY CRYING. You wait and wait for a story, a plot, a change, something. You think it's a preface for something. You figure that if this was ALL it's gonna be they would at least WARN you but not to be. I was thinking that somebody figured all the sentimental, drama queens and Liberals would go to see it and they'd make bucks. After all there was NO COST for a set, writers, or even actors. Sigourney Weaver hit her acme in GhostBusters where she was carried by the excellent cast. What has she ever done? She should have gotten in the original Thing with James Arness or The Fly with Jeff Goldblum although that may be pushing her skills. I had to watch this movie with a Spanish lady who gave it to me as a gift so I had no choice but even she couldn't watch it all the way through. I only managed to see all of it by watching the last 1/3 on a second night. I don't drink but this movie would certainly drive me to it. If you want to save the time of reading Dante's Inferno just watch this movie. This is my nomination for WORST movie of all time. Flash Gordon and the Rock People? Lost in Space? I could watch them all day long after this. I really only turned to this review to see how badly other people burned it and thought I might find some real humor in their comments. I was truly amazed to hear all these boneheads praise it. This may be some kind of syndrome. Muslim Terrorists attack the US and murder 3,000 people who are totally and unquestionably innocent civilians who have not hurt or endangered them or their religion in any way and someone decides to make a movie that focuses on the Firemen's deaths. Not ALL the deaths, just the Firemen. They don't even mention the CAUSE of all this loss and misery. NOT A WORD. Just a world class WALLOW in self-pity. And then people applaud the movie like you shouldn't mention the despicable fanatics THAT DID IT? I can't figure it out. Are they saying that they feel especially bad for the Firemen and so consequently they must praise this incredibly boring movie? That we should all sit in a circle, smoke dope and sing Kumbaya to honor their glorious accidental deaths? Or how about that one jerk who prefaces what he says by stating that if you don't agree with him you probably have an IQ around 100 and should have been prevented from entering the theater when they show an intellectual movie like this. In other words he condescends to normal people. I prosecuted doctors for crimes. This is A LOT more boring than that. Straight to DVD. $16,000 on the first weekend, nobody's ever heard of it. If I were divorced I would burn it on my anniversary. As it is I'll send it to Glenn Close or Meryl Streep. Maybe they can watch it all the way through in one sitting.

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8/10

Still hurts....

tauerly14 August 2005

I didn't know what to expect either.

I kept wondering about the black/white tape at the beginning, wondering if some kind of crime would happen. Just before the show the title of the movie they go back and show the whole picture, then I finally see the date beside the time. Then I realize what it would be about.

Still my imagination was not as "real" as the movie would be.

It is not about the characters, it is about people. How the firefighter captain speaks the words that are in his heart, the author just types into a machine. Words that catch the people as easily as the events had. Good words can ease the suffering. Nobody will ever forget the day Rambo, Superman, Batmann, yet the whole League of Justice, Wonderman and all the other superheros were on a sponsored company pick nick and here many people died. It was a reality check for everybody.

Although I like Bill Murray, who did the theatric play with SW, I think Anthony LaPaglia did a good job. Maybe he got the role because he is starring in the TV show Without a trace which is about missing persons.

I never doubted Signourney Weaver.

Don't watch the movie totally unaware what will happen. The events will overwhelm you and when you think you made it through the movie without crying, wait for the end. Watch it and remember where you were and how you felt. And remember the people you love and tell them.

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I have to comment on the comments below.

chris-8323 November 2003

The film is good. It's thoughtful and poignant. The acting was well done and the directing made it as interesting as possible given the material (i.e. two people talking). Be warned that this movie is not your average mass-consumption media fare, and if your IQ is hovering around 100 or less you are better off renting an Adam Sandler or Jerry Bruckheimer movie.

The backdrop is 9/11 but you could take the two characters out of NY 2001 and dropped them into any similar tragedy in history. It is not a "US Propaganda" film as someone tried to state below. It is a film about two people having to cope with tragedy. One who was directly touched and one who was sitting on the sidelines wishing to be able to help out. On that level, on telling the brief story of two people who should never have met, it works very well.

Finally, to the person who said "If I were director, I would have ... had someone write a better script..." >>THE FILM IS BASED ON A TWO-PERSON PLAY!!!<< The above statement is as ignorant and mind-numbingly stupid as someone saying "I wish the director of Hamlet had someone write a better script with more fight scenes."

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8/10

Gripping Stage Drama turned into convincing movie

NewInMunich4 September 2005

There would definitely be certain ways to "celebrate" the heroism of the firemen of the NY fire department in the events of 9/11. However, this is not the approach this film has chosen, it is merely a stage drama transferred to movies with very subtle means, certainly resting on dialog between Weaver as a supporting journalist and La Paglia, a fire commander literally fighting for words to tell the unspeakable for the eulogies of his men lost in WTC. This is by all means well told, just letting in a little "air" of movie means by showing video of what is told, opening the angles of events for the viewer, but never going to real action. This fits well and makes this movie a highly recommendable piece of work, worth to be watched and discussed about. I have trouble understanding, how an average of only 6.3 could be reached so far. This is definitely 8/10.

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10/10

Powerfully emotional

susan-conboy8 April 2005

The best of the movies about 9-11-01. Anthony LaPaglia was touchingly human and the writing allowed him to show the strengths and flaws of the character seamlessly. Sigourney Weaver was excellent in her ability to both make unreasonable demands in her "deal" with God, and to recognize that there is no deal. Everything is the way it is - the new "normal". The inter-cutting of actual footage from New York City firehouse cameras drives home the point that while you are watching a movie, all of this really happened - the denial, the pain, the shock, loss, anguish, and eventual triumph of making a contribution, in whatever way possible, to the people who survived. Please see this movie.

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9/10

Reciprocity

janet-556 February 2006

I have foregone watching this film for months as I feared it might be mawkish and far too US orientated. In the event I was surprised. This isn't a film specifically about 9/11 even though the deaths discussed in the movie are those of firefighters from the FDNY. It is more concerned with how major events of this nature can impinge themselves on everyone. Many years ago when I was living in Birmingham (UK) I can remember lying in bed one night, heavily pregnant, listening to the news of the Birmingham pub bombings. Like 9/11 this was an event (though considerably smaller in numbers of deaths and injuries)that reverberated through a community for many months afterwards and in some respects still remains a significant part of Birmingham's unique character. Grief is not something to be shaken off so lightly and it is this fact upon which the film centres. There is no laying of blame -no mention of terrorists. The film simply describes how the Fire Captain Nick Costello has to cope with his grief in order to communicate to writer Joan the humanity of these people and what they meant to him; so that he can give a fitting eulogy for them. As a member of the audience it was this element of reciprocity with such events that struck me so forcibly, and the feelings of hopelessness such incidents engender. As for the script in most part it was excellent and amazingly understated, though in my opinion Joan's internal dialogues were not necessary, we all knew how she felt from watching her reaction to Nick relating his feelings in both words and looks towards his lost men. That to one side, the acting is flawless throughout by both actors. This is a truly excellent film, a deeply moving essay on grief and mental trauma; in my mind I kept revisiting Wilfred Owen's letters home to his mother from the trenches during the First World War, strongly conscious of the eerie connection.

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10/10

Of all the movies dealing with 9/11, this is the best.

bearealman7 January 2014

The best of all the 9/11 movies. It's really that simple to me.

Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver give perhaps the best performances of their careers.

I'm somewhat unable to completely lose myself in performances in that I don't forget that I'm watching actors.

This film was an exception: I really lost track of the actors and experienced long stretches of time when I completely felt I was in the room with these people.

Most films using 9/11, either as their setting or focus or as a key moment in the plot, try to recreate the events of the day. That is what appears to be what they receive their critical acclaim for - the level of verisimilitude and their emotional 'oomph'. Instead of punching hard, like the other films do (or try to do), The Guys touches deep.

An incredibly underrated film.

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10/10

Astonishing movie !!!

webmaster-9320 January 2006

When it happened, here in Belgium, we were shocked. When we saw the documentary's afterwords, we were shocked again. Watching this movie for the first time, i was shocked for the (i lost count) time. What a movie. Hat of for LaPlagia, who play's the broken worn out commander perfectly. You can see the man's pain through his eyes. Sigourny Weaver begins to feel the man's pain and guild and play's excellent the reporter who begin's to know Lapaglia's friends and share his grief. A real tearjerker from the beginning till the end !! It's like you get to meet some of "The Guy's", and understand the way they worked together.

Respect from Belgium for the fire department (anywhere in the world)

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10/10

The hardest 9/11 gut-wrencher I've ever seen. Brilliant.

chatangel8 August 2004

I am watching the film as I type this - and have read the other reviews. Revbgreer's eloquent comment pretty much says it all; but I have to add that this film is not about heroes; it is about the healing that is still (in Aug 2004) taking place. If anyone "out there" thinks the healing is done, please think again. It took one day, one hour, for the events to take place - it will take years, if not decades, for the healing to be "deep enough" to be considered "cured."

This is essentially a "talking heads" story, but I've never seen a more powerful one. The subtle nuances of facial expressions by LaPaglia and Weaver are nothing short of uncanny, and I think this is due to the fact that, while the characters may or may not be "real," certainly the essence of the characters is very real - they represent each and every person who had any kind of thought or feeling about the events of 9/11. Revbgreer was THERE, after the fact, giving solace and listening - just listening. It is also about the journey of grief taken by "sideline" survivors and those of us who wanted to do something, anything, but simply couldn't think of what to do - or felt the ability to give wasn't there. It *was* there - in the thoughts, tears, aching hearts; in the voracious reading of everything written; the days and days of being tethered to the television set, not wanting to be unleashed, not yet ready to "move on" to our day-to-day lives.

One does not just "watch" this film; one must also "listen." Hear - and listen - and be sad, cry and rejoice in the listening - rejoice in the "everyday stories" of everyday people - made "heroes" by mere circumstance.

Thank you, Anne Nelson, for writing this. Thank you to the producers, Lisa Diamond, Jason Kliot, Gretchen McGowan, Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Bonnie Timmermann, Joana Vicente, who enabled the making of it and to Director, Jim Simpson, for letting it be what it was meant to be. And thank you to Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver for portraying - "us."

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9/10

anyone can be fearless, it's being afraid, and doing it anyway that makes you brave.

Hi-Rez9 September 2003

I didn't know what to expect from this movie when I sat down to watch it. I certainly didn't expect to cry.

It's a very touching, and extraordinarily realistic, and poigniant journey through the weeks after 9/11 from the eyes of a fire captain, and the writer helping him write the eulogy's for 8 of his men. It's not over dramatised, I half expected to see Oliver Stone style cutting and splicing of real 9/11 films. I was glad to see there wasn't.

What struck me most about this movie was the realism of it. Not just how realistically the actors portrayed their parts, but how real those parts were. The characters were NOT 3 dimentional, they were just plain real. From the way Nick sort of grumbles before reading aloud, to Joans visit to her local firehouse, it was all so real.

Maybe it is because most of the men in my family have been firefighters, maybe because I am a writer, and couldn't be there that day, I really don't know...

I don't know if this film will hit home to you. It is not an action movie, you will not see any blood, or gore, in fact, the cast is pretty slim, and there are only a handful of locations. There are no elaborate flashback sequences. There is not a single denouncement of terrorists, or Afghani's.

If your looking for a movie like that, go get rambo 2... But if you want something to remind you of just how human you are, how human we all are, then maybe this is right for you. This is not a war movie, it is not a disaster film. It is a film about remembering the dead, and continuing to live ourselves.

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Good But Too Much Extraneous Filler

jmatrixrenegade22 August 2004

I was biased when I got to around seeing this film. The film is based on a play (a two person play also starring Weaver with different actors portraying the fire captain, including for a time, Bill Murray), which I saw in early 2002 in lower Manhattan -- not too far from the events discussed. I do not think where I live add too much to the viewing in most ways, but the locale, time period, and coziness of the medium did. The play felt just right. The movie was a bit off.

The material does transfer pretty well. It's simple story that takes place soon after the tragedy, a writer/resident of Manhattan trying to deal with the events like everyone else, a writer who is asked by a fire captain to help him write eight eulogies for his men that died that day. The leads are excellent. The core material powerful.

The medium, however, was film. This is dangerous sometimes when the source material comes from somewhere else, be it television or the stage. And, we saw this here -- a desire to use film, and not just have a filmed stage play. Part of this works -- collages of the writer on the train with her kids, walking, and so forth. All the same, some of it does not -- it is filler, her talking to a counterman, two fireman (truly extraneous, given the story), and so forth.

In fact, I think the movie is actually a bit shorter than the play ... it is only 87min with the opening, closing, and that filler material. I was perfectly fine with just the two actors, including a touching eulogy scene. And, the material felt a bit fresher on the stage as well. I was somewhat disappointed actually, though I still enjoyed it overall.

Maybe, it's like reading the book first ... but still, I think something is missing here.

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10/10

Beautiful Movie

Harley_Roronoa3 October 2014

Beautifully written with 2 superb actors.This movie was adapted from a stage play by Anne Nelson Sigourney Weaver and Anthony LaPaglia play their parts very well and manage to convey the emotions of those who were affected and involved in both the tragedy of 9/11 as well as the aftermath. The Guys is a story of a fire captain (Anthony LaPaglia) who lost eight of his men in the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11th and the editor (Sigourney Weaver) whom he goes to for help with preparing the eulogies he must give. This movie will not only give you a real understanding of what happened that day as seen through the eyes of a fireman but it will also give you an understanding of how close knit the men of the FDNY really are to one another and how despite all of the chaos of that day they managed to pull themselves through and still pay respects to their lost brothers with dignity, love and respect.

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excellent movie

ridire10 April 2007

With all due respect, I don't think Mr. Olsson watched the same movie I did. It would appear that Mr. Olsson's "review" is more than a bit colored by his apparent anti-American sentiments.

I just finished watching this movie on cable television and I didn't see anything jingoistic or any 'patriotic crap' in the movie. What I *did* see took me back to my own experiences - time spent in the aftermath of 9/11/01 at Church and Vesey and attending more funerals and memorial services than I can count at this point.

I applaud everyone who made this film happen for giving us perhaps the most human film to come out of the events of that day.

(Incidentally, I do happen to be American by birth and a firefighter/paramedic by calling)

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9/10

your heart will feel for 9/11

sharkattack197820 September 2009

9/11 was a disaster that still devastates us to this day. We can't forget the horrific visions that we saw on that day and probably never will. I myself have been to ground zero and seen for myself the terrifying and upsetting wreck that was the mighty standing tall monument that was the great World trade center. When I heard that Hollywood was taking notices of this tragedy, I knew I wanted to see them all. The Guys was one that I really wanted to see. I have seen Flight 93, United 93 and World Trade Center, so I was happy to see that the film was finally playing on UK's TV station ITV. The film is mainly based around two strong principal characters. These characters are the journalist and the fire captain who are still trying to come to terms with the hundreds of deaths of all the fire-crew who lost their lives during the towers collapse. Sigourney Weaver who has always been one of my fave actresses give a star turn, even Oscar worthy performance as Joan and Anthony LaPaglia who I have liked ever since I saw him in Innocent Blood, gives a heart wrenching performance as Nick, the fire captain whose grief for his men has not yet subsided and who had to say heartfelt eulogies for every man he lost on that tragic day. The conversations that they share was extremely well scripted and the emotion is so well put across that you could easily mistake it for genuine. maybe even it was, maybe both Weaver and LaPaglia did experience their own emotions during the real attack and used it to the max and it shows in their performances. The film never gets boring and I found it extremely poignant. The friendship the two share throughout the film is not a romance kind of friendship, even though during the movie they seem to be hitting it off. The friendship they share is a connection in some way, it can't be described but there is definitely some closeness between the characters. The conversation does just stem on the eulogies but dancing, fantasies, but also visions of the real life aftermath and memorials. Children's pictures of lost parents, newspaper clippings, lit candles, all well placed in the movie and you are drawn into it as if it's not a film you are watching. It's more like you are watching something thats real. It's amazing how two strangers could form a friendship on something so tragic and yet they do and it's interesting to see and somewhat engaging too. I even wish that we could turn back time and stop 9/11 from happening just as much as the characters desire to do so also. 9/11 is never forgotten.

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10/10

One of the best movie debuts of all time.

ericl-314 September 2002

Jim Simpson gets stunning performances from both Weaver and LaPaglia in one of the most emotional films of the 21st century so far.

One would have expected worse directing from a novice director, but I guess since he had such great material and his wife Sigourney Weaver is usually brilliant, greatness should have been expected.

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Some good, Some crap!

drsnap6 August 2003

As the story tells...its a film about a horrific accident in US history...But for a swedish guy like me.....and some other tens or tventie milions its a fake-patriotic crap movie....

Why is it always in these kinda stories....that everything must be so much hollywood....so much oh-my-good-where-great-buhu! Well....as a human movie its okej...as a us-propaganda film....its kinda like my behind...

Nice on the surface....but with some degree of crap in it....

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10/10

Good One

FYREPREVENTION12 April 2004

Being in the fire service, this movie really touched my heart. I could not imagine losing any of our guys to something this tragic and of this magnitude. The way the writer pressed upon viewers on how tough it is to be a captain and have to deliver something like that was heart-wrenching. It wasn't just about firefighters being heros but about the people themselves being heros. They went to a call not knowing what was in store for them. Although this happens every day, it's rare to lose that many "brothers and sisters" through something that tragic. Hats off to the author of this book....and well done on the movie! It was an excellent job.

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10/10

Excellent and Powerful

mddem0110 April 2003

Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver give powerful performances that grab your attention from the beginning and hold you spellbound until the end. Together they truthfully conveyed the raw emotions of people struggling to make sense of the incomprehensible. LaPaglia certainly deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Nick. He is truly one of the most gifted actors on screen. The only negative is that the movie ended so soon. I wanted to learn more about this captain and his guys.

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No main conclusion, no impressions got.

funkysista4 June 2004

As it says: "The story of a fire captain who lost eight men in the collapse of the World Trade Center and the editor who helps him prepare the eulogies he must deliver." Read this sentence and you don't have to watch it.

I watched this movie and i felt bad because i wasn't able to pay attention. I saw a man talking, but i couldn't get what he was talking about.

It says the movie wasn't supposed to tell about heros. So why did they pick them though? The only reason i should have cry was the fact, it makes "the guys" so absolutely unspecial. Explanation for my opion might be not being American. But i have seen other movies about 9/11, and they made me cry because the imagination i was able to make was kicking in. It seems to me as this movie has no main conclusion. Is this movie about how New York feels, how the relevant people feels, how fireman feels? I still don't get it. I'm very sorry for having this opinion, and this makes me angry, because abusing this theme is just bad. When i watch a movie i don't expect feeling guilty for seeing two people just sitting there and go like blahblah.

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Bit of a Spoiler (long and mushy, lol)

Wind_Raven7 September 2003

Warning: Spoilers

I think that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen, that are supposed to be true to life- I will admit that it was kind of slow, but, looking at the whole picture, and knowing the pain that I felt and that I know thousands and thousands of other people must have felt at that time, including those who were directly affected by this travesty, I feel very sad. I will readily and unashamedly say that I cried throughout the entire movie- not just because those firemen (policemen, office workers, innocent bystanders, and those on the airplanes) lost their lives doing their jobs, or going on about their daily lives but also because it was a senseless act of terrorism. Nothing is worth the price of hundreds of innocent lives- nothing except freedom- and even that, I'm not so sure I agree with but I will fight, if it comes down to it, I will fight for the freedom of this country and for our people. But, I'm digressing. This movie reminded me that America is a wonderful place to live, and no matter how bad we think we have it here, imagine, first of all, how the families who lost a loved one feel, and secondly, how the people in other countries must feel facing this terrorism every day. It reminded me that those rescue workers gave their lives to save others- despite the large number of people lost, they were doing their best to do what they could to save as many people as humanly possible- they did it unselfishly, and bravely. I'm sure they might have been afraid, I know we all probably were, but my definition of bravery is not being without fear, it's using fear against itself to do what needs to be done in the face of adversity. The only thing the movie, imo was trying to portray was that those 8 firemen were doing just that. They gave so much of themselves in life, and died doing just that- giving of themselves, with no concern of what would happen to them, only the concern of what would happen to those who were unable to escape. I think that it conveyed that point extremely well and also showed the true human emotion of life and death. FDNY, PDNY, all the survivors of 9/11 and all those who were lost to hate and terrorism, I salute you- I also salute the United States of America, for all of us- for we have banded together to become a stronger and better nation. Thank you Anne Nelson.

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Not very uplifting but hits home hard

MovieGamer6920 March 2003

i went to a private screening of this film and found that it was not really very good to watch this movie the day we went to war but it wasn't like i went to see it because we are at war, it was so emotional and saddening that i a full adult male shed tears through and through the film, my father was in tower one and lived but my roomate lost his dad in tower 2, analyzing what happened to new york after september 11th was very risky and weird at first especailly on screen but as the film progresses it takes u back to those last few weeks in september when we didn't know what to think, literally asking everyone are you ok? as if we know what that means. Everyone was affected in some way or another but for those of us who lost people this film is nothing more than a gem and ultimate respect for those who perished that tues morning

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