Twilight’s Last Gleaming

General Lawrence Dell and his accomplices Powell, Garvas, and Hoxey escape from a military prison, igniting a bold plan. They move to seize a Montana ICBM complex and access its nine Titan missiles. The escape sets in motion a high stakes gambit with far reaching consequences.

During the infiltration, Hoxey shoots a guard who answers a ringing phone, escalating the confrontation. Dell quickly neutralizes the threat by killing Hoxey to maintain control. The trio secures access to the launch control areas and threatens to unleash the missiles.

Dell and the others establish direct contact with the US government, presenting a ransom and a demand that the President go on national television. They require $10 million and the public airing of a top secret document. The maneuver uses political leverage to force negotiations.

Those with access know the top secret document contains conclusive proof that the US government believed there was no real chance of winning Vietnam. The administration kept fighting to project strength to the Soviet Union. Dell gains access to this document, turning it into a powerful bargaining chip.

Dell and his accomplices disable the security countermeasures of the launch control system, giving themselves control over the nine missiles. They bypass safeguards and neutralize key defenses to ensure a potential launch can be executed. The move deepens the crisis and moves the countdown toward catastrophe.

In Washington the President and his Cabinet wrestle with the moral and political implications of the ransom. They debate whether to concede or risk a national security crisis. They ultimately authorize an elite team led by General MacKenzie to penetrate the ICBM complex and destroy the command center with a low yield device.

An elite unit led by General MacKenzie penetrates the ICBM complex and advances toward the command center to execute the plan. An alarm is triggered, tipping off Dell that the operation is underway. Dell responds by initiating the launch sequence for all nine missiles.

The underground missile silo begins to reveal its dramatic launch covers as the countdown proceeds. Efforts to abort the launch are mounted from both sides, but time is running short. The tension peaks with mere seconds remaining before a potential catastrophe.

With the crisis escalating, the President agrees to meet the captors demands including allowing himself to be used as a human shield while Dell and Powell escape. The President leaves the White House to carry out the arrangement, hoping to spare more lives.

As the President exits the White House, he asks the Secretary of Defense to release the top secret document should he be killed in the process. Tension rises as the chain of command weighs public interest against national security.

US Air Force snipers take aim at Dell and Powell and inadvertently shoot the President as well. The President dies, uttering a last request that the document be released, leaving a political and moral vacuum. The Secretary of Defense cannot bring himself to answer whether the document will be released.

In the immediate aftermath the fate of the top secret document remains unresolved, leaving the public with questions about government transparency and accountability. The incident reshapes how officials weigh secrecy and national security. The film closes on a note of moral ambiguity about who should control such information.