Rent Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977)

Nukem - Twilight's Last Gleaming review by dl

My god the first ten minutes of this and i was ready to turn it off, it just immediately screams low budget tv fodder 70’s style it really looked that bad, and what became more surprising was the cast which includes cinema giants Lancaster,Cotten and Widmark among the many others, who where all utterly dreadful delivering their lines of cheap dialogue in such a very tellingly and awkward manner, but here is the thing even after all this badness i just couldn’t bring myself to turn it off it became so moreishly fun and bonkers that i just had to see where this one was going and what the hell the outcome would be.Beneath its where not quite there cast and cardboard looking settings this nuclear nut job story had somehow got me hooked and gripped making it either the best worst movie I’ve seen or worst best movie I’ve seen i’m really not quite sure.7/10

70s Conspiracy Thriller - Twilight's Last Gleaming review by GI

This fits into the tail end of the 70s American conspiracy film cycle and was a favourite of its director Robert Aldrich but it failed to gain an audience even after receiving an edited, more action focused cut. Now restored (although some scenes remain lost) this has garnered a favourable re-evaluation as a bold film that questioned the heart of America's political establishment and its cold, inhumane foreign policies especially regarding the Vietnam War. Burt Lancaster plays disgraced Air Force General Dell framed for murder by the authorities who has escaped from prison and with two criminal associates managed to break into a nuclear missile silo, taken control of it and threatens to launch the missiles unless the President (Charles Durning) reveals to the public the contents of a secret document that shows the Vietnam War was a lost cause. It's a very talk orientated narrative with much of it taking place around a table in the Oval Office and whilst it does a good job of condemning the US foreign policies and it's failure to properly legislate the use of nuclear weapons, the plot is utterly preposterous with some gaping holes mostly around the action in the silo with Lancaster. There's also a frustration caused by the apparent naïveté of the President who sort of learns his own countries policies and plans as he goes along. This makes the film seem a rather scrappy affair although there are some stand out moments mostly in speeches delivered by Lancaster and Durning. The downbeat ending all seems rather daft too but the performances are mostly sound especially the two leads but also including Paul Winfield, Richard Widmark and Melvyn Douglas amongst others. This was filmed in Germany and whilst it is a brisk and bright picture it feels more like a 70s TV programme. This is a film that will have interest if you are looking at the work of Aldrich but, despite his own view, this is not his best film by a long stretch.

Still packs a punch - Twilight's Last Gleaming review by RP

I remember watching this when it was first aired on tv. Later I had a video machine and taped it. I came to this again wondering if it still packed the same punch it once had. Now the secrets that the System manipulates us with today are not the same as simply lying about Wars. However they are probably more likely to blow themselves up and us along with them through stupidity than any need to show off to another superpower. 

With a stunning cast and some fine acting the film does have that punch for me. The extras on the DVD about the making of the film are genuinely interesting for once and I learned a lot that I had known about. But the frustration and hope by the Burt Lancaster character is still the one that hurts the most. People still believe that they can force change by threatening honest people in a dishonest system.

Still love the film and glad to see it again. Glad it still brings out the emotion.