Nicolas Cage plays police officer John McLoughlin (far right) in a true story from the day of the terrorist attacks on New York. The film premiered at the city's Ziegfeld Theatre.

Critics have praised Oliver Stone for his restrained treatment of the subject. The Platoon and Natural Born Killers director had promised victims' relatives the film would show sensitivity.

Crash actor Michael Pena and Cage play two police officers who were trapped in the rubble of the Twin Towers after they collapsed on 11 September.

Stone said the film's details were "very exact". Officers McLoughlin and William Jimeno (centre) were consulted "constantly" during the production, the film-maker said.

Maria Bello, whose previous films include A History of Violence and Assault on Precinct 13, plays the wife of one of the missing officers.

The then-pregnant wife of William Jimeno is played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, now expecting a child with fiance Peter Sarsgaard. Gyllenhaal's breakthrough movie was 2002's Secretary.

Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani's leadership of the city in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks elevated him to the status of national hero.

Actress and producer Trudie Styler and musician Sting were among the celebrities at the premiere of World Trade Center, which has received mixed reviews in the US.