On April 19, 1989, an explosion during training exercises in Gun Turret number two of the U.S.S. Iowa, a storied battleship, created more than one firestorm; Besides the one that killed more than 40 sailors, a scandal swept the nation that put the U.S. Navy on the defensive. The Navy, in what some suspected was an attempt to cover up unauthorized artillery experiments by enlisted men, accused one of the dead men of being a suicidal homosexual and setting off the explosion in a fit of jealous rage. Idealistic Lieutenant Dan Meyer (Robert Sean Leonard), a witness to the tragedy, whose father was an honored military man, must square off with the ship's longtime, but remote captain, Fred Moosally (James Caan), when testifying during the heated and nationally televised investigation by the Pentagon. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Review
Taut and compelling, A Glimpse of Hell is a based-on-fact story that doesn't feel like it was drawn entirely from dry depositions and courtroom testimony. Credit director Michael Salomon for keeping things moving and coherent; this is one of the rare military courtroom dramas that even civilian viewers will find suspenseful. Actually, only half of the film is set in the courtroom or Senate investigative chambers. The first half is a pretty vivid re-creation of what went on before the explosion, where we're introduced to the secondary characters -- many of them doomed -- without feeling like we're being set up to feel sorry for them later. Military buffs will enjoy looking for the occasional lapse in Navy correctness -- apparently, no Navy captain would ever call himself a "soldier" as Captain Fred Moosally (James Caan) does at one dramatic moment -- but others will simply get caught up in the inherent tension. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
Mikael Salomon - Director, Michael Salomon - Director, Tracey Alexander - Executive Producer, Andrew Adelson - Executive Producer, David C. Williams - Composer (Music Score), Jon Joffin - Cinematographer, Mitch Engel - Producer, David Freed - Screenwriter, Keith Rogers - Re-Recording Mixer, Charles C.Thompson II - Book Author
Buzz McClain of allmovie gave the movie 3.5 of 5 stars stating: "Taut and compelling, A Glimpse of Hell is a based-on-fact story that doesn't feel like it was drawn entirely from dry depositions and courtroom testimony." The movie when first shown, scored a 3.3 household rating and drew 2.7 million viewers.[3] This was enough to make A Glimpse of Hell the most-watched program in FX's seven-year history.[3]
