Actually manages a fresh perspective. The director, camera in tow, had unimpeded access to the devastation for a full day before being shooed away by officials, and the footage he captured (sans commentary) is both gut-wrenchingly familiar and disconcertingly foreign.
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
New York PostLou Lumenick
A verité collage of indelible images Sauret collected in and around Ground Zero, beginning moments after the planes hit the World Trade Center.
A meditation on the scale of a catastrophe so enormous that all the assembled resources seem paltry and inadequate.
70
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
The mostly wordless film simply presents Ground Zero, the dust-covered surrounding areas, and the city's immediate rescue efforts. As a document, it's invaluable, and as a viewing experience, it's somewhat shocking.
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Forgoing any voice-over commentary, these now-familiar images regain their original power to shock with the sheer enormity of the event.
70
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
The film lacks narration or music, but the devastating images speak for themselves.