9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor (2011)
**** (out of 4)
Remarkable documentary about Frank DeMartini and Pablo Ortiz, two Port Authority workers who instead of fleeing the North Tower on 9/11 decided to climb up and look for more survivors even though they were just five floors from the impact site. Both DeMartini and Ortiz would end up dying in the towers but not before saving 77 people. As most people old enough to remember the events, I still have every memory of what I was doing on 9/11/01 and no matter how many times I see the footage I can't help but get emotional. The evil that was struck on that day is well-known but the remarkable thing is how many heroic stories are out there and this here is certainly an amazing one. There were several times throughout the documentary where it was made clear that both DeMartini and Ortiz could have gotten out of the building alive but instead they kept climbing up while everyone else was trying to get down. Even after rescuing dozens of people they could have left but instead they kept trying to save more. One often wonders what they would do in this type of situation and then you realize that only people extremely special could make these decisions. The documentary interviews the wife of DeMartini (who was in the building with him) and the ex-wife of Ortiz but also many of the people that they saved. Whenever one hears stories from the survivors you can't help but be amazing at what they had to go through in order to reach safety. All of them make it clear that they probably would have died had it not been for these two men and hearing their stories was quite remarkable. The documentary not only features the interviews but there's also a re-enactment of the events. The drama level and intensity of this footage is pretty strong and hard to watch at times. I always get rather depressed when I watch these sad events but in the end it's also very uplifting knowing that these heroes are around us. You probably don't know who they are but their stories are always fascinating and seeing people willing to give their lives to save others is something that will hopefully inspire others. This documentary is a remarkable story that should be seen by everyone.
**** (out of 4)
Remarkable documentary about Frank DeMartini and Pablo Ortiz, two Port Authority workers who instead of fleeing the North Tower on 9/11 decided to climb up and look for more survivors even though they were just five floors from the impact site. Both DeMartini and Ortiz would end up dying in the towers but not before saving 77 people. As most people old enough to remember the events, I still have every memory of what I was doing on 9/11/01 and no matter how many times I see the footage I can't help but get emotional. The evil that was struck on that day is well-known but the remarkable thing is how many heroic stories are out there and this here is certainly an amazing one. There were several times throughout the documentary where it was made clear that both DeMartini and Ortiz could have gotten out of the building alive but instead they kept climbing up while everyone else was trying to get down. Even after rescuing dozens of people they could have left but instead they kept trying to save more. One often wonders what they would do in this type of situation and then you realize that only people extremely special could make these decisions. The documentary interviews the wife of DeMartini (who was in the building with him) and the ex-wife of Ortiz but also many of the people that they saved. Whenever one hears stories from the survivors you can't help but be amazing at what they had to go through in order to reach safety. All of them make it clear that they probably would have died had it not been for these two men and hearing their stories was quite remarkable. The documentary not only features the interviews but there's also a re-enactment of the events. The drama level and intensity of this footage is pretty strong and hard to watch at times. I always get rather depressed when I watch these sad events but in the end it's also very uplifting knowing that these heroes are around us. You probably don't know who they are but their stories are always fascinating and seeing people willing to give their lives to save others is something that will hopefully inspire others. This documentary is a remarkable story that should be seen by everyone.
