In 1864, Union Naval ships had Charleston trapped by their blockade and were shelling Charleston constantly, desperate to break the blockade of ships, the Confederates decide to launch an experimental diving torpedo boat.
The movie opens up with the second test-run going horribly wrong, this section of the movie is particularly hard to watch and we constantly cut to the crew screaming and panicking in horror as the submarine fills with water and drowns them.
Despite the damn submarine being a goddamn hazard to the Confederate army, Lt George Dixon (Assante) is convinced he can make it work, so General Beauregard (Sutherland) let's him take command of the sub.
After some trouble, Dixon recruits a new crew and they start training on their mission to sink and kill the Union, saving Charleston!
The filmmakers did a brilliant job capturing the horrible claustrophobic environment of the submarine, the movie was made just before the real submarine was found, so there are some inaccuracies (the submarine in the movie was actually slightly roomier than the real thing!)
Armand Assante knocks it out of the park, through out the movie you learn more about his character and his backstory.
The supporting cast is a mixed bag, none of them are terrible but we don't really get to know the rest of crew that well except for some basic characteristics eg (One is a hotheaded arsehole, one is a gentle giant, one is a weird dude who can catch fish with his hands and another is a crazy teen who is desperate to be on the sub)
Hell there are 2 guys who I had to look up who their names were after the movie was over.
Sebastian Roche, Michael Stuhlbarg and Frank Vogt were the highlights of the crew.
Also this movie kinda portrays some of the Union soldiers as absolute morons, which I don't understand why they did. I get we are supposed to feel for these guys trying to survive while their city is being reduced to rubble, but that doesn't mean the Union soldiers have to be dumb blithering idiots.
The Hunley is not going to sit-well with everyone, this is a movie that honors the bravery of the Southerners who volunteered to operate the submarine, the people bothered with how the South should be remembered will probably not enjoy the movie.
Also if you are in any way claustrophobic, don't watch this movie...you will shit your pants.
In conclusion, The Hunley is a very nice little historical movie that effectively captures the brutal siege on Charleston in 1864 and the terrifying claustrophobic environment of a 19th Century Submarine.
If you are a Civil War buff or just want to watch an very chilling submarine thriller....this a pretty good one!
