Best Movies, Series and One Album to Understand the September 11 Attacks

Man on Wire (2008) and The Walk (2015)

The story of French tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s incredible feat has no direct connection to September 11 beyond the fact that it took place at the World Trade Center. However, both the award-winning documentary Man on Wire and the biographical drama The Walk, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, shed light on the symbolic meaning the buildings held for the city. Initially seen as two massive, cold blocks of concrete and steel on the New York skyline — overshadowed by architectural icons like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building — the Twin Towers gradually won over the public’s affection. Events like Petit’s 1974 walk were key to cementing that bond with New York’s cultural identity.

Man on Wire is available for streaming on Prime Video.

The Walk is available for rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

World Trade Center (2006)

Based on true events, the feature film directed by Oliver Stone follows the dramatic journey of John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Peña), two New York Port Authority police officers who enter the Twin Towers to rescue victims shortly after the planes strike. When the buildings collapse, they are trapped beneath the rubble, turning the film into an intimate account of survival, claustrophobia, and rescue. The opening sequence, which recreates the internal chaos before the structures collapse, powerfully conveys the sacrifice of firefighters and police officers on that day.

World Trade Center is available for streaming on Peacock or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

A provocative investigative documentary about the political landscape before and after the attacks. Director Michael Moore explores the financial ties between the Bush and Bin Laden families, criticizes the stance of the American press, and examines how the U.S. government exploited public fear to justify the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The title references Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (the temperature at which paper ignites), using the date 9/11 as the scale on which democracy and freedom were being burned. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

Fahrenheit 9/11 is available for rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

United 93 (2006)

Filmed in a documentary style and paced close to real time, Paul Greengrass's feature depicts the events aboard the fourth plane hijacked on September 11. The production shows the terror experienced by the crew and passengers who, upon learning the fate of the other aircraft, organize a counterattack against the terrorists to prevent the plane from reaching its target (speculated to be the Capitol or the White House). The action culminated in the crash in an open field in Pennsylvania. The film also highlights the work of air traffic controllers, even featuring real professionals from the time playing themselves.

United 93 is available for streaming on Peacock or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11

This HBO documentary adopts a youth perspective on the tragedy. The film brings together emotional accounts from former students of Stuyvesant High School, a renowned public school located just a few blocks from the World Trade Center. The short film explores the abrupt end of innocence, the chaos during the evacuation, and the trauma experienced by teenagers who witnessed history through their classroom windows and from the school courtyard.

In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 is available for streaming on HBO Max or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

25th Hour (2002)

The first major science fiction film to capture the melancholic, wounded atmosphere of New York in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. The plot follows the last 24 hours of freedom for Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) before he begins serving a seven-year sentence for drug trafficking. Director Spike Lee uses the protagonist’s personal grief and the cityscapes with Ground Zero in the background as a metaphor for the city’s own loss of direction. Years later, Lee would return to the aftermath of 9/11 and xenophobia in the thriller Inside Man (2006).

25th Hour is available for streaming on Hoopia or rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

9/11 (2002)

An overwhelming and unintentional historical record. French filmmakers Jules and Gédéon Naudet were filming a documentary about the daily life of a rookie firefighter in New York when the first plane struck the North Tower—capturing one of the rare pieces of footage of the initial impact. The camera then follows the rescue team inside the towers, documenting the darkness, destruction, and panic at the epicenter of the disaster.

9/11 is available for streaming on YouTube.

9/11: Inside the President's War Room (2021)

The documentary directed by Adam Wishart focuses on the inner workings of power during the first 12 hours after the attacks. Featuring detailed testimony from former President George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and other senior officials, the film reconstructs the uncertainty, the communication failures involving the presidential aircraft, and the decisions made aboard Air Force One and in Washington’s bunkers.

9/11: Inside the President's War Room is available for streaming on Apple TV.

The Looming Tower (2018)

Based on the book The Looming Tower (winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this miniseries dramatizes the rivalry and lack of cooperation between the CIA and the FBI throughout the 1990s. The story shows how ego clashes and the withholding of information between the intelligence agencies paved the way for the rise of Al-Qaeda and culminated in the 2001 attacks. The cast includes Jeff Daniels, Peter Sarsgaard, Alec Baldwin, and Bill Camp.

The Looming Tower is available for streaming on Hulu.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

The geopolitical thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow was the filmmaker’s next project after the acclaimed The Hurt Locker (2008). Focused on the decade-long CIA manhunt to locate Osama bin Laden, the film follows agent Maya’s (Jessica Chastain) relentless determination amid controversial interrogations and intelligence analysis, culminating in the Navy SEALs’ military operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The star-studded cast also includes Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, James Gandolfini, Mark Strong, Mark Duplass, Frank Grillo and Jeremy Strong.

Zero Dark Thirty is available for streaming on Apple TV and Netflix or rent on Prime Video.

NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ (2021)

Another work by Spike Lee, this HBO documentary series creates a four-part mosaic drawing parallels between two devastating moments in New York City’s history: 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through dozens of interviews ranging from ordinary citizens to political figures, Lee examines the grief, resilience, conspiracy theories, and the city’s ability to rebuild over the course of two decades. A powerful work about two of the biggest events of the early 21st century and their impact on one of the world’s greatest cities.

NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ is available for streaming on HBO Max.

The Rising — Bruce Springsteen (Album, 2002)

September 11, 2001 changed the world forever and also brought Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band back together after more than a decade apart for an album about community, grief, and rebuilding, one that searches for meaning and hope in the face of loss. Springsteen blends spirituality, faith, and his gift for storytelling throughout these songs, doing it all through the eyes of victims and survivors of the attacks on the U.S. The reunion brought Bruce closer to his fans again, earned critical acclaim and awards, and became one of his finest works of the new century.

Standout tracks: "The Rising," "Lonesome Day," "Counting on a Miracle," and "Mary’s Place."

Available on major audio platforms.