The Hunley (1999)

Plain bad movie. I am sorry. I am a huge Civil War buff and watch every single film dedicated to this exciting topic. And the idea of making a movie about The Hunley torpedo boat in besieged Charleston seemed to be very very cool. Well, not with this film director, not with Armand Assante or even usually great (but here painfully weak) Donald Sutherland, not with such a meager budget, not with such cheese dialog, not with utterly predictable plot or very cliché'd events. From the very beginning we know the end and music helps to see it better. Well, war is all hell, we know, but here war is a boring, teeth-pulling affair of unbearable slowness. The film flopped on all levels and I am sorry, even 90 minutes were too long and too much for such a weak script. The video effects were at least amateurish, and very naive at large. The team tried but the film failed. And the very final is, well, outright sentimental namby-pamby. Do not watch it, not much to lose here

I believe that the film itself was well executed. The cinematography, setting, costuming and scripting were all well done. The casting of Armande Assante as Capt. Dixon was an error. He tried, but was never able to pull the role off. The scenes inside the submarine were the most powerful, giving a real feeling of how claustrophobic it must have really been. The performances by the remainder of the cast were adequate, but none stands out except possibly Sebastian Roche as Collins, the Irishman. The film supposedly stuck to all historical information pretty closely, so I would assume that this was more or less factual. Overall, an entertaining film, one that I enjoyed but am glad I didn't have to pay much to see. I give it a 7.

Armand Assante delivers big time, as the Confederates' Lt. Dixon of the C.S.S. Hunley. In reality, Lt. Dixon was much younger than the actor playing him. However, the weathered look and demeanor of Assante makes him a believable leader, much like Laurence Harvey's portrayal of Col. William B. Travis in John Wayne's epic, "The Alamo."Donald Sutherland's performance should also be commended. General Beauregard, as portrayed by Sutherland was well done. More importantly, it occurs to this author that Sutherland has the penchant for going out on a limb and playing complex figures in history and myth.While the film details many historical accuracies, it is safe to say that the depictions of the crew are fiction. The good news is that they are nicely done. Character development, which seems to be in scarce supply these days is fulfilled in, "The Hunley." To the man, I couldn't think of a single character, that I either disliked, or felt wasn't properly placed in the film. In fact, they were so different, with their own peculiarities, that I felt a kinship to each of them. I guess my favorite was the happily married man who was, according to Dixon, "dumb as a post," but "loyal." Honest men indeed.The special effects are somewhat disappointing. First, it is clear that some of the action shots are less than cutting edge. This was obviously due to budgetary constraints. The good news is that the overly done Hollywood type explosions are happily missing. It is tiring to see 1990's style pyrotechnics in the middle of the 19th century. If you doubt me, go see, "Zorro '98." Big budgets do not equal great effects.Finally, I thought it was original of the film makers in the awakening sequence which occurs at the end of the movie. This could have really gone south, if not done right. It is a moving experience for the viewer.All in all, a fine movie. I will have it in my library.

I saw the Premiere of this movie last weekend, and it is a very INTENSE movie, it is a historically accurate movie, and well worth watching. Armand Assante was made for this part it seems. He portrayed Lt. George Dixon, who was the last "ship's captain", and he did the part very well. In my opinion, everyone should see this one!!