'WTC' gripping and rewarding

If you didn't know better, you'd swear that "World Trade Center" came from another, more straight-forward filmmaker, such as Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard, instead of Oliver Stone.

That's not to say that this harrowing drama doesn't have its heavy-handed moments, a trademark of Stone's work. And it's not to say that Stone isn't capable of making a film that's this emotionally wrenching and rewarding.

It's just that he hasn't done so for quite some time, instead making overwrought duds like his failed 2004 historical epic "Alexander."

Which makes it all the more surprising is how easily he sweeps away our memories of his recent flops with "World Trade Center."

Obviously, the subject matter does not make for an easy film to watch. But the feel-bad, then-feel-good tone may make it more palatable for audiences than the docudrama "United 93." Like that movie, this one examines true stories of heroism from 9/11.

"World Trade Center" tells the story of two New York/New Jersey Port Authority police officers who were at Ground Zero.

John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) is no stranger to such things, having been at the towers during the earlier, 1993 bombing. So he's asked to spearhead some evacuation efforts, and he takes three other officers with him, including rookie Will Jimeno (Michael Pena).

Unfortunately, the concourse between the two towers collapses, killing two of the officers and leaving John and Will trapped in the rubble. They're in bad shape and are struggling just to stay awake.

Meanwhile, their wives (Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal, respectively) are at home and are nervously waiting for word on their missing spouses.

Though there are brief subplots involving rescuers, such as a U.S. Marine (Michael Shannon) who volunteers to search for survivors, the film concentrates on McLoughlin and Jimeno, which is a wise move. We see the tower collapse through their eyes (employing startling re-creations, as well as some newsreel footage).

And this is as no-frills as Stone's filmmaking gets. Much of the dramatic heavy lifting falls to his two leads, Cage and Pena ("Crash"), who are up to the task — especially Pena.

Gyllenhaal and Bello are effective as well, though Bello is forced to wear bizarre-looking blue contact lenses, which are a little distracting.

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com