Bringing controversy or human tragedy to the silver screen takes a lot of courage. And very few directors have done it well. Steven Spielberg’s heart-wrenching tale of the Holocaust in Schindler’s List and Mel Gibson’s thought-provoking interpretation of the last days of Jesus Christ in Passion of the Christ are some who come to mind. And now, there is Oliver Stone with his latest: World Trade Center.

In this Paramount Pictures film, Stone, no stranger to taking on delicate or brow-raising subject matters (ie. JFK, Nixon, The People vs. Larry Flynt and The Last Days of Kennedy and King, to name a few), chronicles the true story of Port Authority police officers Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin on Sept. 11, 2001.

McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Jimeno (Michael Peña) thought 9/11 was going to be like any other day. Much to their dismay, Sept. 11, 2001 was far from being just any ordinary day. Chaos erupted into the streets after two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Five men, including McLoughlin and Jimeno, immediately responded. They ran into the burning buildings, looking to save anyone they could. All of a sudden, the towers gave way and they became trapped, buried underneath slabs of concrete and twisted metal. Stuck 20 feet below the rubble field, McLoughlin and Jimeno held on to dear life as they waited 12 grueling hours for someone, anyone to rescue them.

At times, it was difficult to watch. But World Trade Center was a touching, remarkable tribute to the heroes who fell and rose that fateful, tragic day. A must-see for the American patriot in us all!