This film includes a powerful performance by Armand Assante, easily matching the undeniably good performance of Donald Sutherland. It includes an excellent portrayal of Civil War Charleston and the desperate situation of the Confederacy in 1864. Out of that desperation came the impetus to put a (very) basic submarine into service. All in all a powerful film about desperate people volunteering for a dangerous duty they believed in. I strongly recommend this film to Civil War and general military history buffs. It will breathe life into your understanding of the Civil War period. Where is the DVD!

This is a great movie. I rented it on video and was amazed how well this made for television movie was executed. Donald Sutherland played his part very well, but the directors/writers did not have to rely on him to carry it. This movie is a must see for any history buffs or lovers of submarine flicks. A very good movie.

The old tried but true dangerous mission scenario that requires volunteers and initially gets no takers. Then after a misfit crew is assembled to man the Confederate States Submarine "Hunley" they get into scuffs with one another as they size each other up before they as a group are insulted which results in uniting them. They eventually go on their mission and pay the ultimate price. Sound familiar i.e. The Dirty Dozen, The Devils Brigade to name a couple. Armand Assante puts in a good performance as The Hunleys skipper. Donald Sutherland on the other hand seems uninterested in his role as General Beauregard.The young good old boy who keeps showing up to join and demonstrates his swimming ability by belly flopping and swimming madly seemed to serve no purpose in the story other than to be a sort of Jethro Bodine wannabe. The redeeming factor in this film is that it does tell a story that many people probably had no knowledge of. TNT will probably make another film about the very first submarine "The Turtle" before long.

The subject matter was a fascinating surprise, but a bigger surprise was how emotionally involved and moved I was watching this picture. It is an exciting, thrill a minute, rousing and deeply moving experience. The performances are exceptional and the story is a remarkable tale of courage and sacrifice. The action scenes (which are many) kept me on the edge of my seat, I don't think I've ever seen a production this spectacular on television before. This is a big screen epic for the small screen. Congratulations to TNT for bringing this less known but very important part of history to television