Twin Towers (2003) User Reviews

A moving tribute with some heart warming images

[Papatoetoe · 7/10 · 12 September 2003]

Restores your faith in the human race, a story that will move you. To the film makers and the family my thanks for allowing this to be told in a manner befitting the main characters, my only regret is the need to have to tell the story. May they rest in peace.

A Thanks to Rob and Bill

[kvigiano · 16 October 2010]

Well first I'd like to thank Rob Port and Bill Guttentag for completing this film. You don't know how proud it makes my kids.

I just wanted to comment on the first review. I'm glad you liked the film but as you pointed out there we're three brothers and one survived, There was just two brothers. Joe and John. You hear Joe's voice on the film because he along with his Unit was being filmed for some new show or something about specialized NYPD units Joe his brother, along with Mike Curtin who is in the film and a total of 23 NYPD cops were killed before the filming was completed. Anyway I think they did a great job with this film, I just wish it could have been shown on TV. Kathy (Joes wife)

Watch this movie and you'll appreciate life and family.

[mnishimoto · 10/10 · 11 January 2005]

This video was presented in a room of 100 first responders on Maui, mostly police with some Fire & Rescue and Health Department staff, as part of a Weapons of Mass Destruction Workshop. After the movie was done, the moderator ended the first day of the workshop with a "See you all tomorrow at 8:30 sharp." No one said a word as they left. The movie humbled the entire audience and left a mark with all on the battle against terrorists.

The video images reminded everyone of the potential that they themselves could be in a similar situation as the 9/11 event. The Vigiano family went through what none of us would ever want to experience.

If you want to knock the chip of someone's shoulder or shake a person up who is feeling sorry for themselves, have them watch this movie.

A look a the real New Yorkers.

[Anonymous_Maxine · 10/10 · 10 November 2006]

I have seen several films and documentaries based on the 9/11 attacks, but none that really showed the gritty New York firefighters and other emergency responders quite as clearly and effectively as this one. The film focuses on one of the countless tragic stories that occurred that day, this one of a family of dedicated firefighters that lost two of three sons in a matter of minutes as they rushed to help at Ground Zero. The one surviving son, Joseph Vigiano, talks in the film about growing up with two brothers who eventually became heroes, even more than they already were before they were killed.

I think that the single most important thing to do to make movies and documentaries about 9/11 great - all of them - is to keep the politics out, at all costs, and this film definitely does that. It is not at all about the mistakes that were made or warnings that were ignored or phones that weren't answered or jets that weren't sent, but was only about the importance of family. United 93 came about as close to politics as I think 9/11 films can come without becoming preachy or assigning guilt, but only because it deals with the actual events, and our minds tend to have by now become so programmed to translate whatever we hear about 9/11 into a stratification of blame that we can watch an objective presentation of the events and see the blame without it even being there.

Joseph Vigiano says in this film that no matter what, he always kisses his family when he leaves and says goodbye because he never knows when he might not come home. And the important message that this film delivers to men and women and families everywhere is the feeling that, no matter what job Joseph had, his goodbyes would never change. The film is an answer to the mournful cry, "I never got to say goodbye."

Pretty forgettable 911 documentary

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 29 January 2017]

"Twin Towers" is an American documentary film and with a runtime of only 34 minutes, it is a relatively short one. It was directed by Bill Guttentag and Robert David Port, who won an Oscar for their work here. For Guttentag, it was already his second win and he has more nominations, but it has also been his final appearance at the Oscars so far with the nomination here. This is the story of two brothers, police man and fire fighter, who both died at the terror attacks back in 2001. The film tries to focus on the work of these good people who helped in saving many lives after the attacks and many of them paid their efforts with their own lives, like the two men in here. Sadly, the emotional component is not working all the time. Instead the film loses itself in blatantly cringeworthy statements like "I lost 14 of my best friends" and this is where the overall emotional impact is really hurt and I find it difficult to appreciate this movie. I myself would definitely not have nominated it for an Oscar, let alone given it the awards, but two years after the attacks, it's not really that big of a surprise as America was still shaken to its core at that point. In terms of informative value, it's also underwhelming. Overall, not a good work. Thumbs down.

Memorable Tribute

[Esoteric1616 · 13 March 2003]

For any film on the topic of 9/11, no one can really rate its story, but even at the late Sundance screening of this film, everyone stayed awake. "Twin Towers" was gripping and brought back many 9/11 memories. This is truly a story that is worth being told especially on this memorable event. It seems that a ton of effort was put into the creation of this film and I wish you good luck at the Oscars.