A black veil of forgetfulness for a covered incident! Absorbing drama that tells the aftermath of a disastrous fuel leak in a nuclear missile-silo. The dramatic events derived arouse all kind of conjectures around supine actions, a powerful document that will engage you from start to finish.
A TRUE STORY !!!! This is a True Story of an actual disaster that might have been catastrophic !!! I worked with one of the people who was at this silo when the accident happened, and he told me that it was just like this movie portrayed. Bacially, While doing some routine maintenance on a nuclear missile ( Titan II ??? ), a worker accidentally drops a socket down from the top of the silo, and it then makes a small puncture in the missile's gas-based fuel tank below. When the silo's alarms start going off, they send in a team of Experts to try and repair the leak. They only have a small amount of time to repair the leak though, because if all the gas escapes, the missile colapses in the silo :-( Not to mention, the gas is explosive, and they CANNOT use any tool that will create a spark. I won't reveal the ending, but it's definately a good film.
Important Correction The two previous reviews were sufficient to describe the film, but I felt it important to add that the events depicted took place in Arkansas. The Damascus Titan II site (launch site 374-7, one of 18 missiles in the Strategic Missile Wing at Little Rock Airforce Base)suffered an accident September 18, 1980. A worker dropped a large wrench socket down the silo which bounced up and punctured a fuel tank on the missile. The resulting explosion (some 8 hours later) killed one worker, knocked the door off the silo, and propelled the (live!) nuclear warhead 600 feet into the air before it fell to the ground nearby.
A Made for TV Movie. Based on a real "EVENT" in New Mexico This is a good made for TV movie. Easily worth the $5. Im glad to see it available on VHS even though it didnt make it to the theaters. This movie is based on an actual airforce event that took place at a Silo in New Mexico. The movie was filmed just south of Tuscon Az in the only formerly active silo from the cold war that is open to the public. One of the Airman involved in the actual explosion played a small role in the movie and worked to keep the facts straight on this "Fictional Movie". Two actors Reggie Jones and Cordell Rich were left out of the credits but did well on their respective bit parts. Reggie as an Air Force Airman and Cordell as the Medic who worke on Michael and "Pepper" in the ambulance.
How close were we to accidental detonation? Over-worked and under-paid is a fair description of the men and women of the Air Force who are charged with maintaining nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. The Titan missile was a liquid filled beast that demanded constant attention. One slip of the tool and the chain reaction began. Brave souls gave their lives to try and salvage the bird in silo 7. But, does anyone know that the warhead was blown out of the silo and landed in a nearby field? Are there others we don't know about? You will admire the bravery of the enlisted men, and you will be disgusted at how they were treated. The silent war continues to this day across the plains of Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The Minuteman III has solid rocket fuel and is far less vulnerable than the Titan; nonetheless, young men and women risk their lives regularly to keep these birds on alert. We should never forget the sacrifices of the silent heroes that maintain our fleet of nuclear missiles!
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