Customer Ratings & Reviews

French documentary filmmakers Jules and Gideon Naudet were filming a documentary about a rookie firefighter's (Tony Benetatos) first year with the FDNY. Benetatos was assigned to the historic Ladder 1, in south Manhattan. On September 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., Jules Naudet went out on a routine call for a gas leak with Chief Joseph Pfeiffer when they heard a low-flying jet. Jules turned his camera skyward just in time to record American 11 hitting the North Tower (some of the only footage of that event). Chief Pfeiffer, the other firefighters and Jules raced the few blocks to the towers: they were among the first onto the scene. Much of the rest of the movie is footage taken by Jules of the rescuers inside the building; Gideon recorded the goings on back at the station. After the South Tower collapsed (with friends and relatives of Ladder 1 inside), Ladder 1 evacuated the North Tower...just in time. This movie is real footage from inside the World Trade Center as the buildings burned, as people jumped to their deaths, and as the buildings ultimately collapsed. (The footage was edited to respect the deceased.) It is real footage of the real firefighters desperately trying to save lives while dealing with a disaster beyond their worst nightmares.