Twilight's Last Gleaming

In the 1960's three "nuclear" movies stand out: Dr. Strangelove, Fail Safe, and the much under rated Bedford Incident. All tried in their own ways to raise awareness of the implications of both the Cold War, the mind set of Nuclear Warriors and their political masters, and the dangers implicit in the possession of nuclear weapons. While Twilights Last Gleaming is not as good as these three, it is an excellent well crafted film that not only explores the mind set of the military and politicians, but also how a power structure will protect itself, particularly from that most dangerous of threats: the truth. Its also explores ONE of the reasons that once in Vietnam, the US found it so hard to get out. If you enjoy this one, check out another Burt Lancaster movie, CONTROL. Again, an excellent treatment of a nuclear subject.

I disagree that the political statement in the movie is misplaced. It was one of the first movies from the Hollywood mainstream to address the atrocities in Vietnam (such as the Mai Lai massacre for those who are not familiar with history). I think the film showed the pain and anger many vets felt when they returned. Beyond the social statement, I think the film is good thriller that stands the test of time. There are some minor problems with the plot such as the security at the silo, but those come up when one tries to analyze the film instead of enjoying the ride. Lancaster and Widmark are, as usual, very good in the picture which alone makes the picture worth seeing.

Walter Wagers' novel "Viper Three" is the basis for this solidly entertaining movie about Lawrence Dell (Burt Lancaster), a renegade former Air Force general who's broken out of prison. In the company of three other men - Willis Powell (Paul Winfield), Augie Garvas (Burt Young), and Hoxey (William Smith) - he manages to infiltrate an ICBM silo near Montana. His intention is to threaten to start WWIII if the U.S.A. does NOT come clean regarding the "real" reasons that they started the Vietnam war.

Many conversations between the P.O.T.U.S. (Charles Durning) and his top aides follow, as well as a couple of attempts to subdue Dell and his comrades. These are spearheaded by Martin MacKenzie (Richard Widmark), a Commanding General who is a thorn in the side from Dells' past.

Durning, as a highly principled President, and Winfield, as a smart, savvy man who actually has to educate the somewhat naive Dell on the reality of what they're facing, are the MVPs in this incredible array of top notch actors. Although this viewer was a little dismayed to see big bad Bill Smith removed from the story awfully early, he was thoroughly impressed to see so much talent in one place. And that extends to the character actors in small parts. (Keep your eyes peeled for a young John Ratzenberger.)

Jerry Goldsmiths' majestic score is perfect accompaniment for a compelling narrative that provides some food for thought. After all, the desire for a government that is actually open and honest with its citizens is something many of us - not just Americans - would dearly like to see. Director Robert Aldrich handles everything in style; this is a very well directed film, especially in a few genuinely tense sequences. The only real criticism that this viewer would level at "Twilight's Last Gleaming" is that it does go on an awfully long time.

Interestingly, this was filmed on location in Germany.

Seven out of 10.

Despite the thick-ear dialogue, lack-lustre performances from most of the cast, (Charles Durning being the notable exception), and the frankly ridiculous premiss of a renegade general taking over a nuclear missile silo and holding the US government to ransom, Aldrich's dip into the Cold War paranoia genre is surprisingly good, working both as a highly suspenseful thriller, (Aldrich makes great use of split screens), and as a reasonably serious picture on American foreign policy. It's also funny enough to work as political satire and I'm not sure that Aldrich took it all that seriously. It may not be in the same class as either "Seven Days in May" or "Fail Safe" and television dramas such as "The West Wing" and "House of Cards" are much closer to the mark on what goes on in the Oval Office than anything here but it's also far from negligible and if it's hardly Aldrich's best film it's still well worth seeing.

Rating 4**** out of 5

Robert Aldrich's "Twilight's Last Gleaming" based on the novel Viper 3 by Walter Wager is the story of General Dell, played superbly by Oscar winner Burt Lancaster, who was an ex-military officer during the Vietnam War. His intentions are to take control of an underground nuclear silo and expects certain demands to be made including ten million dollars in cash and the to use the President of the United States as a hostage. A fine war film with Jerry Goldsmith's excellent score, makes Twilight's Last Gleaming a very recommended motion picture which should be viewed today, especially at the height of the recent terrorism attacks with great performances by Oscar nominees Burt Young, Richard Widmark, Paul Winfield, Joseph Cotton, Melvyn Douglas, Richard Jaeckel and Charles Durning as the President.