A Glimpse of Hell is a drama film

Drama film

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 originally made for TV and was initially shown on the FX TV network. It was released in the United States on March 18, 2001. It was filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and stars James Caan, Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...

, and Daniel Roebuck

Daniel Roebuck

Daniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...

. It was directed by Mikael Salomon

Mikael Salomon

Mikael Salomon is a Danish filmmaker, cinematographer of The Abyss and Backdraft , and director of Band of Brothers ....

. The film is based on the book A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the USS Iowa and Its Cover-Up

A Glimpse of Hell (book)

A Glimpse of Hell: The Explosion on the USS Iowa and Its Cover-Up is a nonfiction book of investigative journalism, written by Charles C. Thompson II and published in 1999. The book describes the USS Iowa turret explosion that took place on April 19, 1989 and the subsequent investigations that...

 by Charles C. Thompson II about the 1989 turret explosion incident

USS Iowa turret explosion

The USS Iowa turret explosion occurred in the Number Two 16-inch gun turret of the United States Navy battleship USS Iowa on April 19, 1989. The explosion in the center gun room killed 47 of the turret's crewmen and severely damaged the gun turret itself...

 on the USS Iowa

USS Iowa (BB-61)

USS Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state...

 and its aftermath.

Cast

Actor	Character
James Caan James Caan James Caan is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado...	Captain Fred Moosally Fred Moosally Fred P. Moosally is a former Captain in the United States Navy. During his naval career, Moosally served in many different assignments, including commander of a destroyer and the battleship USS Iowa...
Robert Sean Leonard Robert Sean Leonard Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...	Lieutenant Junior Grade Daniel P. Meyer Daniel P. Meyer Daniel P. Meyer is director for whistleblowing and transparency to Gordon S. Heddell, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense....
Daniel Roebuck Daniel Roebuck Daniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...	Petty Officer Dale Mortensen
Jamie Harrold	Kendall Truitt
John Doman John Doman John Doman is an American actor best known for playing Deputy Police Commissioner William Rawls on HBO series The Wire from 2002 to 2008 and Colonel Edward Galson on Oz in 2001....	Admiral Langlett
John Benjamin Hickey John Benjamin Hickey John Benjamin Hickey is an American actor with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in The Normal Heart....
Dashiell Eaves Dashiell Eaves Dashiell Eaves is an American actor. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and later moved with his family to Rochester, New York where he attended the School of the Arts. He graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1996...	Clay Hartwig
Hugh Thompson Hugh Thompson Hugh Thompson may refer to:*Hugh Miller Thompson , second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi*Hugh Smith Thompson , Governor of South Carolina, 1882-1886*Hugh Thompson, Jr...
Alan C. Peterson	MCPO Ziegler
Bill MacDonald Bill MacDonald William "Bill" MacDonald was a Scottish heavyweight wrestling champion. He died in 1964, and was the father of actor Kenneth MacDonald ....
Ken James Ken James Ken James may refer to:* Ken James , played Tony Wild in The Box and later played Mike O'Brien in Sons and Daughters...	Adm. Chapin
Eugene Lipinski	Skelley
Chris Owens Chris Owens Chris Owens may refer to:*Chris Owens , Canadian television actor*Chris Owens , American football player*Chris Owens , American basketball player...	Agent Flynn
Bruce Gray Bruce Gray Bruce Gray is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian actor.-Early years:Gray was born Robert Bruce Gray in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canadian parents...	Donald Meyer
James Bulliard James Bulliard James Bulliard is a Canadian actor.Born in Bern, Switzerland, he moved to Canada at the age of three and began his career on a radio program called Not the History of Rock and Roll at the age of six His first role in a feature film occurred in 1993, when he appeared in the movie Ordinary Magic,...	Gunner's Mate Tim Sykes
Sherry Devanney	Kathy Kubicina
Jennifer Overton	Evelyn Hartwig

Critical reception

Buzz McClain of allmovie gave the movie 3.5 of 5 stars stating: "Taut and compelling, A Glimpse of Hell is a based-on-fact story that doesn't feel like it was drawn entirely from dry depositions and courtroom testimony." The movie when first shown, scored a 3.3 household rating and drew 2.7 million viewers. This was enough to make A Glimpse of Hell the most-watched program in FX's seven-year history, at the time.