to sum this documentary up in a few word be next to impossible . every fiber of your body tell you that this be not happen right from the opening montage of rapid fire image and through to the last shot of the clean up at ground zero and but every frame be real . the story be think up by two french brother live in new york . jules ( 28 ) and gideon ( 31 ) naudet ( pronounced nau day ) want to make a documentary on new york city firefighter and begin with a newbie from the academy and follow him through the nine month probationary period to full fledge firefighter . seek the help of their close friend and actor james hanlon ( 36 ) and an actor and firefighter at station 1 and engine 7 and the naudets sift through the probies at the academy and find one and tony benetakos to focus the bulk of their documentary on . tony become the butt of joke and slowly learn the in and out of station life through the member of this close knit family . firefighter have a superstition about probies . it be that they be either white cloud or black cloud and mean that with the latter and all kind of fire follow the probie . the former mean that very little fire activity follow and but one day and there will be the mother of all fire . tony be a white cloud . after some initial growing pain and tony settle into the firehouse a if he be a seasoned vet . then the unthinkable occurs . september 11 and 2001 begin with a clear blue sky and an early morning call to go and see about a suppose gas leak not far from wall street . because jules have have little camera experience and gideon hand a camera to his young brother and tell him to ride with the chief and t. k. pfeiffer . arrive at about 8 represent42 and the firefighter begin to use their gas detector over a grate . then the sudden roar of what seem to be a low fly airplane rip past the scene and and a jules pan upwards and we see the first strike of the day . american airline flight 11 smash into the face of the north tower of 1 world trade . pfeiffer order his men into the fire engine and they head for the world trade center . once there and jules asks to accompany the chief into the tower . pfeiffer tell naudet to stick close to him . once inside and the full impact of the grow disaster begin to show on the face of the men whose sole purpose be to save life . gideon naudet decide to leave the firehouse and walk down to the impact area . once there and he capture the impact of the second plane and united airline flight 175 and with 2 world trade . he know jules be with chief pfeiffer inside the tower . watching and capture the crowd reaction to the unimaginable and gideon begin to capture on tape the grow fear in low manhattan . inside tower one and jules record the last view the world and or love one will have of their son and father and uncle and grandfather and husband and boyfriend and friend a one by one and each firefighter and carry 60 lb of equipment begin the long arduous climb up 80 story to rescue the injured and trap . jules also catch the last glimpse chief pfeiffer will have of his brother and kevin and a he leave to do his selfless duty . also catch on video be the gutwrenching sound of fall body hit pavement from victim choose to jump from the high floor above the impact zone and sooner than face death at the hand of the flame and smoke . but jules be respectful and never once do he capture a sensationalistic moment . the money shot . his work be professional through his baptism of fire . he also catch the sight of debris fall from tower two after it be hit by the second plane and the ordered way the firefighter evacuate civilian from the building . then jules be catch in the collapse of the south tower and the first official victim be take represent father michael judd and the chaplain for the fire department . then a jules and chief pfeiffer make their way from the fallout of the collapse of tower two and tower one begin it structural collapse . what result be a breathtakingly and poignant view from inside ground zero a jules and gideon work separately to document that day . not know if either be alive and each fear the bad . a each firefighter arrive at the firehouse and they greet each other with joyous hug at have make it back . and in one moment of overwhelm emotion and jules and gideon be reunite . a jules cry on his brother shoulder and gideon embrace his younger brother a hanlon make the filmmaker the subject . there be one fearful moment when tony benetakos and who leave the station with a former chief and be believe to have be lose . but return to the fold and this probie have prove himself . show with only three interruption and 9/11 be a stunning achievement in documentary filmmaking . it rank up there with the hindenburg footage in show history a it unfold . the naudets be to be commend for their deft handling of the subject . in less hand and the tendency would be toward the sensational and but the naudets temper their eye toward dignity and compassion . narrate by hanlon and we get the feel of his word a he take the audience through the event of september 11. robert de niro host the program in a sombre and restrain way . he never seek the camera for his own glory and rather he lay out the scene you be about to see . i also commend cbs for their bravery at air this special . chastise for their attempt at grab rating and they temper their editing toward the emotion of the relative of those who perish . this be a must see for anyone who need to be remind of what true heroism be . it isn not about dribble a basketball and or sell an album of hate lyric . 9/11 be about humanity at it best . heroism at it fine and the cost of freedom . .