User Reviews

The previous assessment is innately, historically flawed as is most of Hollywood, and especially those who profess to be experts by simply watching or writing its products. Here are some salient points:

1) Titan II missiles were at THREE separate locations in the U.S.--and none of the sites at Davis Monthan AFB (Tucson, Arizona) were ever involved in a catastrophic accident.

2) The unit in Arizona was merely the first unit to deactivate, and not the last. IN FACT, it was the Arkansas unit--the one which most closely resembled the plot line--which was deactivated about four years later and just before this film's date (1988.)

And by the way,

3) These airframes weren't simply dismantled and discarded, they were RECYCLED into satellite launch boosters. They were the same booster used in the Gemini space program, a connection to a more peaceful mission that the smaller Minuteman or Peacemaker missiles could ever claim.

Further,

4) Both major accidents (one in Kansas, one in Arkansas) were due in large part to policy decisions best typified as Benign Neglect--and not due to any inherent flaw in the DESIGN of the system. These rockets were only meant to last long enough to bridge the gap until Minuteman came on line. When defense dollars get stretched, something always gives.

Moreover,

5) The deactivation of this sophisticated weapon had more to due with a slow change in national STRATEGY, a renewed emphasis on counter-force over counter-value. That and the inevitable/imminent collapse of the Soviet Union. Bottom line: if there still was a U.S. military need for large, land-based ICBM warheads, there would still be Titan II's on alert today.

I ought to know...I was there...and I was honored to serve with the everyday heroes who wrestled this monster rocket system back into prime safety status and onwards to its destiny in Deactivation. That was the real story--that this system finished its War and was transformed into PEACEFUL pruning hooks and plowshares. But if you don't believe me, go visit "The Copper Penny" south of Tucson. It's an entire, fully-preserved, underground Titan II ICBM complex, open daily to the public, and complete with the (drained) missile and (empty) RV shell. Walk top-side to the opened six-foot-high, multi-ton silo Launch Duct Door and peer down into eight stories of the silo's Launch Duct, missile, and warhead. Descend below ground through a series of bank-vault-like Blast Doors into the Control Center and then out to the Silo Equipment Area surrounding the Launch Duct. First see if you can duplicate that full-sensory experience anywhere else in the world...and THEN see what Hollywood has to say about it. Oh, and don't forget to see a sci-fi space flick every once in a while. Something like "Star Trek: First Contact" might do the job...it WAS actually filmed at an Arizona Titan II site. The one known as..."The Copper Penny."

This is a nice, enjoyable little "B" movie. Great for a rainy afternoon, when you don't want anything too deep. I believe this is a composite of several real events. So, cheesy as some of the scenes seem, this kind of thing happened. And yes, the "Oops" that triggers everything in the movie actually happened. The good news is that there are no more Titan II missiles in the silos anymore. All the ICBMs (Minuteman III and Peacekeeper) are solid boosters, and the last Titan II missiles have been "de-militarized" at Davis-Montahn AFB. So, the events in this movie cannot happen anymore. The writing was a bit tired, especially in the area of dialog. The sets and locations were pretty good for a "B" movie. There was some good lighting and throughout there was good camera work. This is a very predictable film, but I actually hope it gets to DVD one of these days. This ranks right up there with "The Day After," except this is based on real events.

In response to a second review: I stand by my original assessment of the film. I said this is film is a composite of many real-life events, only two of which received media attention. There is nothing "revisionist" about the review.

In response to 1) it was never claimed that Davis-Monthan AFB was the site of any of the real-life events included in the movie. The review said that was where they were demilitarized. The "demilitarized" reference was to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC), not to any of the ICBM units that had been equipped with the Titan II.

In response to 2) Irrelevant to the discussion, because of the above.

In response to 3) Only 13 of the original 95 Titan II boosters were used for satellite launches. A 14th was planned and never launched. Two were lost in accidents. 51 were launched in ICBM tests and training. There were a few here and there used for exotic purposes, such as displays. The rest were demilitarized at Davis-Monthan AFB, where they were indeed "dismantled and discarded." Five-inch holes were cut into the pressure tanks.

Further, now that the Peacekeeper has been retired from service, expect to see Peacekeeper booster sections to be used for space launch purposes.

In response to 4) Agreed, there was no inherent flaw in the design of the system, except for the hypergolic fuel and oxidizer that was corrosive and deadly. The fuel and oxidizer problem is the main reason the Air Force and NASA stopped further variants of the Titan beyond IV.

In response 5) The Peacekeeper was built as a much larger replacement for the Titan IIs. Between the Peacekeeper and the Minuteman III, the large land-based systems seem well covered. So, the assertion that "if there still was a U.S. military need for large, land-based ICBM warheads, there would still be Titan II's on alert today" seems incorrect.