Twilight's Last Gleaming

Based on the novel 'VIPER THREE', it's an early, if not one of the first to challenge the motivation for going to war in VIET NAM. Great acting by some of the best, Burt Lancaster and Richard Widmark, who alone make it a 'must see' in my book. In addition to , Charles Durning, Paul Winfield, Burt Young (ROCKY) Joseph Cotton and others. The use of 'split screen' to show multiple events unfolding simultaneously, really helped in building the tension. It was the first movie I saw using it. It did seem to grind long a little at nearly two and one half hours, but that could have been due to my being a slightly restless and impatient 20 YR OLD. I haven't been able to catch it on TV whether it aired or not. Looking forward to its release on DVD in widescreen if not already out( I haven't found it). Love to get a petition going like the one for Rolling Thunder, but really don't know how.

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.

Twilight's Last Gleaming is a rather far fetched and fanciful tale about a rogue general taking over a missile silo, isolating it from remote control at the Pentagon and White House and having 9 Titan missiles with atomic warheads at your command. Burt Lancaster who was railroaded into a murder conviction to silence him escapes with Paul Winfield, Burt Young, and William Smith and they take over the missile silo and issue demands.

The film is fascinating in one respect how this crisis is isolated from the knowledge of the public. The deliberations over the Cuban Missile Crisis had nothing on this and even that went public. The closest real happening in our history was when Grover Cleveland went missing for about 5 weeks to have cancer surgery and that never came out in his lifetime. Of course it worked out far better for Grover than it did for this president.

Charles Durning plays the fictional president David Stevens and what Lancaster demands of him is not just the usual money extortion. He wants a document read from a National Security Council meeting from the Vietnam war years which would have a calamitous impact on a lot of people and our national credibility involving our very reasons for being in Vietnam. Durning did not even know the existence of it as his presidency is way in the future. But sly old time Defense Secretary Melvyn Douglas knows and as it works in these cases his reputation and national security seem to blend in.

Another sly man from the past is Air Force General Richard Widmark who was once Lancaster's superior. Other members of the cabinet include Secretary Of State Joseph Cotten and Attorney General William Marshall.

Despite Oscar winners and big box office names like Widmark and Cotten, walking away with the acting honors here is Charles Durning as the president who is thrust into a crisis involving the distant past for him. His scenes with military aide Gerald O'Loughlin have some real feel and poignancy for both men.

Twilight's Last Gleaming though far fetched is well worth a look.

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.

Things are far too strange here to just say "so bad it's good". Far, far too strange.

Instead, let's say there are three ways to make a film out of a Walter Wager novel. First we have the Telefon example: do a straight-up, linear, by-the-numbers thriller that is so straightforward and escapist that you get a rather wooden, unmemorable--if somewhat entertaining--potboiler. Nothing risked, nothing lost nothing gained. That's Telefon.

Or, there's the 58 Minutes/Die Hard 2 model: change main-character Malone to John McClane, keep the airport-in-jeopardy setting while massively rewriting the novel so it works as a movie sequel to something it wasn't even connected to in the first place, and make sure it's more exciting than Telefon. Your cinematic thriller has soul, and is safely attached to a successful franchise. And for goodness sakes, stay away from polemic, political commentary or deep meaning.

This brings us to our third case of filming a Walter Wager escapist thriller tome: attach thought-provoking socio-political concerns to the escapism. Try to address some lingering bitterness or cynicism in the US macro-psyche over, say, the Viet Nam war. Homegrown terrorists as anti-heroes, trying to out the government's secrets over a futile conflict that lingered on as a political peeing contest that cost too many lives, by way of a captured missile base. Rogue Major Burt Lancaster tries to stare down US President Charles Durning with nine nuclear warheads set to ferment, unless some dirty laundry is aired right quick. Of course it's previous administrations' decisions that Durning's version of the President is getting slapped around for, but that's all part of the...fun? Uh, no, sorry, all part of the moral conundrum. The fun is somewhere else in the movie...and quickly seeping out of the movie, the more director Robert Aldrich decides this is not just going to be escapist thrills.

Personally, I feel the movie gets most obviously unwieldy, and dangerously over-ambitious, once it starts to abandon Burt Lancaster, in favor of Charles Durning. There's a big shift in focus as soon as we start hanging out with Durning and his boardroom full of mucky-mucks--and shut-in Lancaster becomes sort of a bit player in the proceedings, even though he's got nine nuclear missiles. This switch in character focus directly corresponds to the diminishing thrills, and the emphasis on deeper questions and concerns that Robert Aldrich decided were in tune with the USA zeitgeist of 1977. Less booby-traps, ambushes, shoot-outs, torture sessions and stealth attacks gone wrong--more talk, talk, talk, by suits, suits, suits, sitting comfortably in chairs, chairs, chairs, who wants more coffee? Meanwhile, the split-screen effect used deftly during action sequences (much in the way of the TV show 24 years later) gives way to less suspenseful split-screen sequences showing Burt Lancaster almost looking bored while the President dithers.

Then the ending comes along and finds a really unexpected and daring way to combine stark cynical commentary with a shockingly brutal final confrontation such as you would find in only a truly bold and cutting-edge thriller. And so, I'm going to do what the movie does: I'm going to end a review of what sounds like a bad movie deserving its flop status by shifting gears and saying Bravo! Why? Well, 8 out of 10 for this because--despite everything wrongheaded about the project- -I can honestly say that there is no other thriller, or quasi-thriller stuffed with deep thoughts and dark commentary, quite like it. It's a glorious misfire. I didn't take it seriously, but it had me trying. More lively than Telefon, less cheesy fun than Die Hard 2, and a unique experiment: sort of Inside Man meets Sum Of All Fears meets Point/Counterpoint. Crashes and burns in one of the most compelling ways I've ever seen, and that ain't hay!