On this day, September 11th in 2001, one of the most horrific events in American history took place when two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City. Not since 1941 had the United States endured an attack on home soil to this extent and its effects were monumental. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives in the September 11th attacks.
It was only a matter of time before Hollywood began to bring the attacks to the big screen. Although there have been many films and documentaries about the attacks, with a certain raw feeling about the event, it has been difficult to always get it right. Here are some of the finest works on September 11th.
1. United 93
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is by far the best film about the 9/11 attacks. Revolving around flight United 93 where the people on board actually fought back against their attackers, this brilliant piece by Paul Greengrass is absolutely relentless with emotion. If there is one film you need to check out, it is certainly this one.
2. Fahrenheit 9/11
As controversial as this documentary is made out to be, there are still some interesting nuggets of information from filmmaker Michael Moore. Examining the aftermath and the fallout from the attacks, Fahrenheit 9/11 is definitely one for the list.
3. Man on Wire
The Twin Towers were certainly iconic structures on the New York landscape and no documentary displays that better than the wonderful Man on Wire. This film follows Philippe Petit as he attempts to walk on a tightrope from one tower to the other. A daring accomplishment and a nail-biting documentary, it really displays how astonishing the structures were in their time.
4. Zeitgeist
For all those conspiracy theorists out there, you will not find a more interesting version of history than is depicted in amazing documentary. Discussing events surrounding the economic crashes and the Federal Reserve bank, religion worldwide and the Twin Towers, Zeitgeist mainly requests that you question events from history without just accepting what you have been told.
5. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Although it didn’t really have the impact that many were expecting of it and deals very little with the terrorist attacks, there are some scenes within Extremely Loud that are exceptionally upsetting. The nine-year-old at the centre of the story loses his father played by Tom Hanks in the attacks; this is mainly his story.
6. 102 Minutes That Changed America
If anyone knows how to make a really good documentary, it is most certainly the History Channel. 102 Minutes takes various pieces of footage from all over New York City at the time of the attacks, from the first plane hitting the first tower to the moment the two towers collapse. Incredibly moving in parts and a wonderful piece, this is perhaps one of the best documentaries on the Twin Towers.
7. World Trade Centre
This film is a bit of a strange one. Although Oliver Stone spent most of his career questioning American policy and events, he comes across as one of the strongest supporters of America and their foreign policy in World Trade Centre, which stars Nicholas Cage. Again, the film only has its moments but what it really gets across is the personal feeling about the terrorist attacks and those who survived.
8. Zero Dark Thirty
Although it doesn’t deal directly with the terrorist attacks, it certainly discusses the impact of what happened in 2001 and the man-hunt for Osama Bin Laden. For ten long years, America hunted the leader of al-Qaeda, spending hundreds of thousands of American dollars on the search before they finally caught him in May 2011. Director Kathryn Bigelow dealt with a serious amount of criticism after the film’s release, but really this is an incredibly relevant and brilliant work.
