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The Hunley (1999)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 9/21

Hunley
9/21: TNT produced pretty good Civil War pictures during the 90's, and one of them was The Hunley.

It's an interesting slice of U.S. history. The forty-foot long H. L. Hunley submarine was the first ever to sink a warship which was the USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864. Afterwards, nobody knew what happened to it, and the submarine wouldn't be sighted again for 131 years.

Of course, the Hunley was primitively made with many flaws, especially the escape part. Hence, the undertaking was suicide for the crew, resulting in near total loss of lives including the inventor's in three tries. The first two were on a trial run, and the third occurred during the fateful mission.

The filmmakers didn't know it back then, but after the submarine was raised in 2000 from the ocean and then examined, the entire crew died instantly at the moment of bomb impact when they attacked the USS Housatonic. It's an important point because the hatch could be easily opened once the submarine was nearly filled with water so to equalize the pressure on both sides. When it sank, the depth was only twenty-seven feet. In the film, the Hunley is ten percent roomier than actual.

Another discovery, which was made in 2001, is the $20 gold coin carried by Lieutenant George E. Dixon which saved his life during the Battle of Shiloh. The inscription reads: "Shiloh. April 6, 1862. My life Preserver. G. E. D." It's somewhat but not quite bent as shown in the film. They also found the crew's bodies inside the submarine, and Dixon's hair turned out to be sandy blond, not black.

It's a good piece of acting by Armand Assante. Donald Sutherland has his moments as General P.G.T. Beauregard and almost looks like him. The rest of the cast is kind of silly but serves as a filler to stretch the film to meet the proper running length. Yet everybody's function in the submarine is fascinating. The H. L. Hunley is now part of a museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

All in all, The Hunley is Das Boot of Civil War pictures.