Netflix: Subscribers rediscover this disaster movie. Success related to current events?

It is September, two days after the sad anniversary of the tragedy that happened in the United States on September 11, 2001 and the collapse of the Twin Towers, which caused hundreds of casualties. This probably explains the success of the movie World Trade Center on Netflix, starring Nicolas Cage.

World Trade Center is adapted from the true story of Will Jimeno and John McLaughlin, New York Port Police Department officers who were called to the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. They miraculously survived when two buildings collapsed and were buried under tons of rubble.

Filmed only five years after the tragedy, World Trade Center is directed by Oliver Stone (JFK) and must deal with the fact that New York has forbidden the destruction or even chaos to recreate its streets. And most of the movie was also shot in Los Angeles.

As usual, Nicolas Cage gave his all, spending hours in a locked space plunged into darkness to experience what the real John McLoughlin might experience. Also worked on learning the New York accent.

He finds his 60-second flatmate Michael Peña, who plays Jimeno, at the casting.

Netizens on AlloCiné are not kind to the movie, which has an average rating of 2.2 out of 5000 votes. Among the criticisms leveled at the film, we find that it is “tearful” (chrischambers86), published by A “Nunushi and the Angelic Image” (frog) and offers “Transparent actors (…) fail to show certain emotions.”

The film, which was seen in cinemas by 778,175 curious people in France, still has qualities highlighted by other AlloCinéans who discuss it. “very disturbing” with “Devilishly effective script without interruption” (Tiger V.) and see as a “A Good Note of Hope” (fund coach).

Indeed, Oliver Stone is not interested in satire, as he used to the public, but in telling the extraordinary fate of these two men, without a spectacular event from a tragic event.

On Netflix this September, subscribers will discover or rediscover this feature film in droves, to the point where it ranks fifth in the platform’s top 10 most-watched films.

If you’re interested in digging up the 9/11 movies, the same year the World Trade Center released Paul Greengrass’s Flight 93, which focuses on the fate of the fourth hijacked airliner that crashed before reaching its destination. But be warned: it’s only available on VOD and physical media.