A Glimpse of Hell (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

Tragedy aboard the USS Iowa. Someone must defend the truth.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 18 March 2001]

This is a morality tale of investigating a military cover up. An explosion aboard an aging battleship is covered up to save face for the Navy. Captain Fred Moosally(James Caan) agrees with his superiors that the fatal explosion that killed 47 is to be blamed on a homosexual rift between two sailors. LTJG Dan Meyer(Robert Sean Leonard)struggles to convince his captain that faulty equipment an gunpowder on board was the real cause of the tragedy. Meyer was considered disloyal until a congressional hearing forced the Navy to revise its findings.

Well scripted and kudos to director Mikael Salomon. This true life drama packs a punch. Special effects were a bit gruesome, but very essential focal point for the story.

Also in the cast are: Andrew MacVicar, James Bulliard and Jamie Harrold.

The Honor of a Sailor Regained

[sbox · 7/10 · 19 March 2001]

Warning: Minor Spoilers.

Made for T.V. used to be synonymous with "crap." Not anymore. Since Hollywood abandoned adult audiences and instead made movies for thirteen year old boys, serious subjects have been left to the 13", 19", and 27" television of most modern households. 'A Glimpse of Hell,' is one hell of a film that supports my contention.

I wasn't expecting much when I decided to view this "television" version of the tragic happenings aboard the Battleship IOWA back in 1989. I remember hearing the news accounts of the events at the time they happened, plus the Navy's story, and subsequent retraction. It was a sordid mess.

Unfortunately, this mess has not been sorted out. The movie hints that the BB IOWA was mothballed because of the accident which killed over 40 sailors. Truth be told, all of our BBs were decommissioned after the Gulf War.

The reason why these last capital ships were pulled out of service are probably several. First, the Battleships were old (dating back to WWII) and excruciatingly expensive to maintain. Second, the 'Mighty Mo' (BB MISSOURI) was almost struck by an Iraqi Silkworm during the Gulf War, which would have been an extreme embarrassment to the United States. Third, BB IOWA's turret no. 2 explosion was unexplained and unknown. This proved that the big guns were unreliable in the modern age. In fact, IOWA's destroyed turret was built in World War II and could not be rebuilt.

It seems, that in their haste to exculpate the IOWA, Navy personnel sought to invent a reason for the vessel's turret destruction. Investigation quickly became an inquisition. Fortunately, we see some nasty allegations countered by honest men in this film. I have no doubt that the Navy will come around at some future date. This is truly cold comfort to the families of the slandered.

Until that day comes, this film serves as counterbalance to harm done. Patriots will have to dab their eyes at the end of this well made, non-Hollywood movie which rates a 7 out of 10.

Although Being Made for Movie, It Is a Great Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 24 April 2004]

In 1989, in the USS Iowa, while performing an experimental training, an explosion in tower 2 kills forty-seven militaries. The US Navy looks for a scapegoat, and accuses one officer of being gay and provoking the explosion, trying to commit suicide. Lt. Dan Meyer (Robert Sean Leonard) gives a honest testimony in the investigation, but the truth is hidden by his superiors. In the end, the Capt. Fred Moosally (James Caan) of the USS Iowa cleans his officer's name. Although being made for TV, this is a surprisingly good movie. The direction is sharp and the cast has a great performance. Very recommended, since it hooks the attention of the viewer until the last scene. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Vestígio do Inferno' (`Vestige of Hell')

great story

[dtucker86 · 23 March 2002]

Its bad enough when young men die in battle but when they die in peacetime training accidents that could have been easily prevented and when the military tries to cover it up, it makes it infinitely worse. This is a fine film that tells of the horrible tragedy of the Iowa. Its sad that most people remember this ship only for this incident, it had a very fine record in three wars it seems. A lot of people will have a hard time understanding the naval jargon they use in the film. This is my only real complaint about it. James Caan is great as the conscience-stricken captain who does the right thing in the end at the cost of his career. The reenactment of the explosion of turrent 2 is chilling and there are some really gruesome special effects where it shows all the burned to a crisp bodies. There is one thing in the end of the film where an officer calls a sailor a little faggot. That sort of dated it because that is prohibited in the military today. The montage of photos they show at the end of all the innocent victims really makes you pause. I feel Clayton Hardwig really was innocent and that he and the forty six others need to be honored as brave men who died in their countries service.

true story

[lark40 · 6/10 · 27 February 2014]

true story of nave drills by the seals an aging ship with top brass making out the ship was good. the acting for TV was all right but not great cant understand why the top brass like that try and defend itself blaming others and not the ship over the explosion given the sailors a bad name the Captain wanted things for his ship but no money available to him all the other officers were doing there job but cutbacks mean people cutting corners they tried to cover up things but the truth came out with out given away any of the story the navy was lame in changing there mind and rewarding them medals but not giving them scandalous that is

Death of a Dreadnought

[sol-kay · 7/10 · 3 October 2009]

**SPOILERS** True story of the disaster that struck the USS Iowa when it's #2 16 inch gun turret exploded in a test firing in the Caribbean Sea. The result of the explosion cost the lives of 47 members of the USS Iowa's crew. It also put the final nail in the coffin to the US Navy's use of dreadnoughts or battleships in any of its future military operations.

Desperately trying to find a scapegoat in order to blame for its shabby treatment, in letting the ship go to pot, of maintaining the USS Iowa the Navy brass came up with this bizarre story of a homosexual affair gone bad between two members of the Iowa crew. One of the sailors killed in the explosion Clay Hartwig, Dashell Eaves, had made out an insurance policy to his good friend and fellow sailor Ken Truitt, Jamie Harrold, and it was this flimsily piece of evidence, if you can call it that, that was supposed to be the reason for the deadly gun turret explosion! Trying to implicate the disaster to a broken up gay love affair, between Hartwig and Truitt, was the very hight of stupidity on the Navy's part since there was absolutely no proof that the two sailors were, actively or not, gay! In fact the Navy went one step farther in their gay angle by saying that it was Truitt recent marriage to his wife Carol, Kate Hemblen, that had his "gay lover" flip out and commit suicide, by blowing up the ship, as some kind of insane act of revenge!

The movie has Lt. Dan Meyer, Robert Sean Leonad, buck the system and take the side of the now suspected of mass murder as well as deceased Clay Hartwig. Knowing that Hartwig was nowhere near turret 2 Lt. Meyer a man with navy blue blood flowing in his veins wouldn't let him, as well as the alive Truitt, hang for something that he didn't do.

****SPOILERS**** In the end it was the Iowa's skipper Capt. Fred Moosally, James Caan, who broke with tradition in blindly going along with what his superiors tell him to and came, together with Let. Meyer, to seaman's Hartwig & Truitt defense. In a quite and forceful voice Capt. Moosally told a packed Senate Committee hearing room that he'll never go against the men who serve loyally under him to protect rear ends of his superiors in the Navy. Even if it costs him the command of his beloved ship the USS Iowa! Capt. Moosally emotionally packed testimony was so honest and heart wrenching that it not only left his supporters without a dry eye in the Senete Commitee room but had his superiors in the Navy back down, mostly in shame, in disciplining him for his brave and non a** kissing or suck-up, to them, statements!

P.S It was later brought out that the turret gun explosion was the results of an accidentally overstuffed gun powder charge not, as at first suggested, sabotage and suicide on the late Seaman Hartwig's part. But by then it was too late for Hartwig friend the happily married Seaman Truitt who's life in the US Navy became a living hell where even the suspicion of being gay was, at the time in 1989, a career ending experience.

I find it hard to believe.

[rjferguson · 3/10 · 19 March 2001]

I was stationed on the USS New Jersey (BB-62) sister ship of the IOWA. Not only drinking beer on a Navy ship is prohibited, having it onboard is against the UCMJ.(Uniform Code of Military Justice). Since when does a First Class Petty Officer berth in a stateroom? These are just a couple of items which discredit this movie. I think the producers did well with the plot but know little about Navy life in general.

Disappointing and erroneous

[k_schember · 1/10 · 14 May 2005]

I would have to agree with the majority that the Navy erred in the investigation and subsequent findings, be it from Old Boy mentality or just covering your six.

But I must disagree on the quality of this 'movie', the acting, props, dialogue, costumes, writing and directing.

First, and most obvious, all concerned had little information of the Naval Service, protocols or traditions.

Second, all concerned didn't bother finding a Navy adviser to point out a few things (previously mentioned) about officers, enlisteds, chiefs and shipboard life - a step that would have paid off handsomely.

Finally, although I was unable to locate proof online, I believe this tripe led to the series JAG.

In my twenty-four years of service, I witnessed many things and have to agree that the Old Boy stuff does occur, but what the writers have officers and chiefs doing is - land-lubberly and un-informed.

One final note: during the epilogue, the narrator states the ship was awarded a Navy Unit Citation, and that the medals were never delivered - true! A citation is a letter, entered into the man's service jacket. There is no medal to present, or to receive.

Simply one of the best TV movies I have ever seen.

[Dfscribe · 10/10 · 16 January 2002]

As a Navy veteran, I can truthfully say I was mightily impressed by the quality of this movie as well as its message. The producers seemed like they genuinely cared about the welfare of the ordinary sailors who man ships such as the Iowa. The fact that the Navy falsely implicated one of these sailors, who was no longer alive to defend himself, is appalling in and of itself. The fact that FX and the people who made this movie attempted to set the record straight, speaks glowingly about the state of movie-making these days.

Well worth watching.

Injustice

[gregsrants · 3/10 · 5 March 2002]

Is there a greater tragedy than when a real live event sparks a hollywood frenzy to produce a story and the lasting result is a mismash of bad acting, writing, storytelling and overall production value. A Glimpse of Hell (out now on DVD) was a made for TV movie regarding the truth and subsequent cover up of the 1980's turrett explosion on the USS Iowa. As the true story goes, a turrett was practicing live fire when an explosion ripped through the loading area killing many marines. The cover-up begins with investigation that has the navy looking for an answer and not the truth. The truth would lead to the decommissioning of the IOWA and, as the movie quickly points out, guns on ships are no longer a necessity when missiles can make direct and accurate hits on programmed targets. James Caan stars as Captain Fred Moosaly, and it has been a long time since he has drifted and slept through an acting role as much as he does here. His emotions cannot be carried by the silly dialogue, so his furrowed brow tries to convince us that he is a troubled man that wants to do the right thing for the decesased and their families while still looking after the well being of those who remain under his command. The investigation leads the navy towards a coverup based on a proposed gay relationship between one of the deceased and a survivor. The navy is quick to conclude that it was a love triangle that sent many to their deaths in a suicide attempt, and it is up to the good guys to bring justice to the situation. Good grief. The writing is implicitly bad and characters are thrown in it seems just to show the families that they were all a part of equipment gone bad, and men who ultimately do good. The acting all around is simply stiff. If I was ever commissioned and had to spend months along side these characters, I think I would jump overboard and take my chances with the sharks. As Hollywood films go, the climax is a court scene when the Captain must choose between telling the truth or protecting the navy. I will let you guess what happens.

I find it offensive when a true story where men or women who fight for a cause (in this case, their country) is put to film with such lack of passion as to leave the viewer with more of a sense of wanting to fast forward rather than to pay homage to those fallen. Every character is portrayed so stale, that I would be embarassed if I was a crew member who wants to see his story put on the big screen.

Keeping such an interesting and historical story on such a low level of enthusiasm and effort is truly the injustice and director Mikael Salomon should be put in front of a judge himself for sentencing.

To those families that lost lives in this tragic and horrific event, I apologize on everyones behalf that it took so long to bring your story to the general public and when it was finally completed, we had no interest.

For those who really want to know what happened, I suggest contacting CBS for the 60 minutes special report and follow up. That segment did the sailors justice.

Short Commentary

[gsm1usn · 11 September 2003]

I was on active duty in the US Navy at the time of the tragedy aboard USS Iowa, and can clearly recall the controversy surrounding the incident. Many unanswered questions remain to this day, but this film does a fine job of presenting the story. Outstanding performance by James Caan as CAPT Moosally. The scenes showing the firing sequences of the big guns are alone well worth the purchase price of the movie. There has never been, nor will there ever be a single piece of military armament as awe-inspiring and fear-inducing as the mighty 16-inch/50 caliber gun. The saddest day in naval history was the final decommissioning of the Iowa Class battleships. One small error to point out: during the opening few minutes of the film, a battleship is seen underway(at sea). The hull number of the ship is "63", which was the number of the USS Missouri - the "Mighty Mo" - not the Iowa.

Sucked

[lukasiewski · 1/10 · 9 November 2001]

A lame movie. People drinking onboard? Jeez. Too many inaccuracies to make it credible. Ribbons on backwards. No wonder the Navy didn't endorse this garbage. Will make a fine addition to any trash heap. Glad there are no future plans for a rebroadcast. This will go down in history as one of the worse B-Movies of all times. Is James Caan this hard up for work?

A lousy movie full of inaccuracies...

[ckeown · 2/10 · 6 August 2001]

Easily on of the most inaccurate movies I have ever seen.

*Possible spoilers - I don't think they are, but you might.*

From improper hull numbers on ships, medals and other uniform insignia that are nothing like the 'real thing' and calling sailors "soldiers" - this movie is an extravaganza of technical errors and goofs.

Combine those inaccuracies with the lopsided perspective of an officer out to make himself look good, an author who should be writing fiction not investigative non-fiction and a special effects department itching to show what an explosion can do to the human body...

And you get the worst possible reenactment of April 19, 1989 and the events that followed.

The only accurate information I can find in the movie is the date of the explosion, the name of the ship's captain, and the portrayal of the NIS as brash, insulting, bullying thugs.

If this movie is your only source of information on the explosion aboard the USS Iowa, I suggest you do some more research.

Superior made for TV movie

[jbacks3 · 8/10 · 20 March 2005]

I was on shore duty at the time of the Iowa disaster and I remember thinking something stank about blaming the turret 2 explosion on an allegedly suicidal, allegedly homosexual gunner's mate. The true cause fell on the shoulders of the Reagan Administration's lust for antiquated platforms (the battleship went out with Burma Shave signs back in the early 50's) while caught up in their irrational enthusiasm for a 600-ship Navy (which never materialized, incidentally). The then recently-elected George Bush would wisely decommission these dinosaurs. The true blame for the turret 2 disaster was old unstable and overloaded powder. The shame the Navy has to live with is the cover-up that followed. A Glimpse of Hell is a superior TV movie that probably deserved to be produced as a major motion picture. The performances are very good (James Caan and Daniel Roebuck are excellent)--- my only minor gripe is the interior shots of the 50-year old Iowa look phony (Roebuck has a stateroom as an E-6? I doubt it guys... and the boat would've been home to cockroaches the size of Buicks) and the ubiquitous sounds of the 1MC I recall are missing. The actual explosion and special effects are well done. Now if only I could only get the A&E Channel to cut back on commercials every 92 seconds...

Well Done

[jdafoe2 · 8/10 · 20 March 2001]

A very frank account of a true incident, told with no holds barred, with an excellant cast. I can bet that the Top Navy brass didn't like this movie very much. James Caan (as usual) gave an realistic performance as the Captain of the Iowa. I was very surpised at the quality of this movie.

Great Realistic Film about the U S NAVY

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 25 September 2005]

Enjoyed this film because it clearly shows the American public that all Military Forces have a slogan, which is simply: CYA in more ways than one. In this film there had to be a fall guy for a problem of this magnitude, where many lives were lost, and the gay sailors took the brunt of all the blame and were not able to defend themselves. In the picture a Navy Officer clearly pointed out the many problems that existed; the sailors in the gunnery section were taking parts from one place to repair another problem. The Navy was not allocating any funds for these old Battleships from World War II. James Caan,(Capt. Fred Moosally did an outstanding acting role and stood up for all the enlisted Naval Personnel and made the stink go away. However, the big wigs in the Naval Department in Washington still stood their own ground. The American public cannot be fooled any long by such incidents and the truth will come out today without any cover ups. Great picture, but very graphic and maybe it needed to be shown.

Truly frightening

[mermatt · 19 March 2001]

This film vividly portrays the extent to which the male macho myth controls the military mentality. Youthful idealism is pitted against the false mask of professionalism. We see a literal dis-illusionment played out before our eyes -- and wish it were not so. We see loyalty used as an excuse for lying and prejudice -- and want to think these things can't really happen.

An excellent cast and clipped plotting provide us with a gripping tragedy which is all the more frightening because it is a true story of a decade-long cover-up and blatant homophobia. It is hard to believe that the military would lead a witch-hunt against one of its own men to cover its own ineptitude. But the facts are put before us in the shape of shredded, burned corpses. Telling the truth is condemned as ratting and snitching. Such is the paradox of 1984-style doublethink.

This film is a sobering look into the corporate mind, a grim revelation of the lengths people will go to hide from reality. I commend FX for being bold enough to present this sad tale in such an excellent film.

Great flick!

[topinterns · 10/10 · 3 June 2002]

Wow! I rented this on DVD the other night because I am a HUGE fan of James Caan. This movie blew me away. I never knew all this stuff about the Navy. I feel sorry for the guys who were on that ship. The movie is really, really well done. I can't believe I didn't see it when it was on TV.

Much Like the CoverUp going on for the Columbia

[alicecbr · 9 February 2003]

Why does it take years after an event for the media to gain the courage to film an actual event with all its warts? The difficulty this guy had in even getting this mildly white-washed film made is witness to how sensitive we are in this country to even MILDLY criticizing our corrupt government.

The acting by James Caan is remarkable, as he has to portray a good ol boy captain, striving to be an admiral, was well as a self-important, lazy Navy officer, imposing no discipline on his troops, nor even overseeing properly the supplying of his ship (which might have saved a few of the 40+ lives). Yet, Caan also portrays his good side (which we all have), making him keep his lips tightly closed as he tries to walk the line between truth and completely throwing in with the whitewash of the Navy investigative committee. As if the higher-ups in government don't know that no group can truthfully investigate itself.

I find it puzzling that this was a Made for TV movie, instead of for the big screen. Having worked as a NASA contractor throughout its initial coverups and waiving of the O-rings preceding the Challenger debacle, I find the disingeniousness attempts by the NASA PMs presetly at work very similar to the nefarious activities by the Navy big wheels in this movie. Quite instructional for any idealist young patriot, and I mean that in the best sense.

A few good men hung out to dry.

[bobzeschin · 8/10 · 10 January 2016]

I just saw this for the first time last night on a cable movie channel, and I was amazed to see that it was originally a TV-movie, which means a budget the tenth of what a feature would have cost. The production values looked like a studio had spent some fairly serious money to make it. Much more important, the tone kept me thinking of "A Few Good Men" from beginning to end. I agree with all the good things other reviewers have written, and rate it one notch higher at eight.

If I have a quibble, it's with the title, which, thanks to IMDb, I now know is the title of the book the film's based on. It refers to a certain scene and God knows it's appropriate, but I might never have clicked the remote to record it if the menu hadn't had a sentence telling me it was about the USS Iowa incident. Otherwise, I would have thought it was about a concentration camp, a Mexican prison, or, worst of all, some woman's especially awful marriage on Lifetime. There's some discussion on the message board about the word "hell" in the title, referring to that scene, but it also occurred to me that, like "Fair Game" did with the Valerie Plame case, it could also refer to what The Power Structure will put you through if you stand up to it.

Righteous TV movie about a screw-up on a crusty US battleship and the typically inept way that the crusty top brass handles such things.

[TheVid · 15 July 2003]

This made-for-TV, true-life expose offers up some nifty gore effects to sensationalize what is otherwise a routine story of the corrupt investigation of a nasty Navy accident. Nothing's resolved here and it all just turns out to be one big, unresolved moral dilemma. Another drab military drama about the Navy and a "few good men" that should amuse the vets.

Enjoyed it

[joed1667 · 8/10 · 19 May 2009]

For a made for TV movie, I thought it was very well done. The Navy's "inquiry" doesn't surprise me a bit. This branch of the Armed Forces seems to be famous for making scapegoats out of its personnel for "the good of the Navy".

Anyone who is familiar with how they treated Admiral Kimmel after the attack on Pearl Harbor or Captain Charles McVay after the USS Indianapolis was sunk knows how the Navy is great at blaming others to deflect criticism for their own incompetence.

The Navy couldn't just admit that old and improperly stored ammunition may have been the real cause. Or the experiments using supercharged powder bags that were too dangerous even when the ship wasn't 50 years old.

The worst thing about this film is that it really did happen!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 19 July 2022]

In 1989, there was a massive explosion on the battleship, USS Iowa. The film is based on a book about it ("A Glimpse of Hell") and the Navy's rush to blame the explosion on an innocent man and its refusal to consider evidence to the contrary. So, instead of blaming ancient and faulty equipment or the captain, the Navy blamed it on a dead man...claiming he was both gay and homicidal...though there was no apparent evidence of this.

This is a surprisingly frank film, with very raw language that is far from politically correct and a very gory scene showing the bodies and body parts after the explosion. It is NOT for the faint of heart! But, on the other hand, what the Navy seemed to have done in the investigation is awful and it's fortunate that the book and film were made. Overall, a brave and fascinating...as well as sad film well worth seeing.