The movie profiles those who plunged into the flaming debris to help find trapped officers; Emergency Service Unit officer Scott Strauss (Stephen Dorff), paramedic Chuck Sereika (Frank Whaley) and Dave Karnes (Michael Shannon), an accountant who bravely marched to ground zero to do what he could.

While the script finds its structure in the memories of the two men, the conclusion is heavily sentimentalized, with not much more than a simple little piano theme to guide us along. But rather than manufacturing suspense, it creates consensus and catharsis, bringing to mind that a mere five years ago, we all pulled together as one due to what would be known as Ground Zero. - S.W.