Fail Safe (1964)
Genre: Drama / War
Duration: 112 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau and Dan O'Herlihy
IMDb score:
8,0 (27.818)
Releasedate: 7 October 1964
Fail Safe plot
"It will have you sitting on the brink of eternity!"
A technical malfunction in a Pentagon strategic system sends erroneous orders to a number of B-58 bombers. The men aboard the bombers are ordered to bomb Moscow. As the bombers get closer to their targets, the Americans and Russians must find a solution.
Actors and actresses
The President
Prof. Groeteschele
Col. Cascio
Buck
Gen. Bogan
Col. Jack Grady
Brig. Gen. Warren A. Black
Defense Secretary Swenson
Gen. Stark
Helen Grady
Reviews & comments
wendyvortex
-
- 5232 messages
- 7290 votes
I think one of the first times we dive straight into a nuclear conflict (well, at the same time as Dr. Strangelove then ... I wouldn't watch them too close together anyway).
American pilots are given the code to drop atomic bombs on Moscow and cannot be reached after the fail-safe point.
The US president and the Pentagon can then work with their Soviet colleagues to try and bring down the planes in time.
There are of course also some crazy soldiers in both the US and the Soviets.
Did it more often later, similar situations, but never as good as here.
Translated from Dutch · View original
tbouwh
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- 5831 messages
- 5429 votes
Sterk: ''This isn't a movie about why we should fear machines or the people who controls them. It's about how managerial systems can bring about just the things they're designed to avert''
Furthermore, I find this a very difficult one - I felt I missed the suspense that I see mentioned in many reviews, and I also struggled with the serious tone here. In either case, that just depends on Dr. Strangelove together. The sharpness that is in that film - black comedy used to express social criticism - I missed here, because the script is much more direct and therefore (perhaps somewhat paradoxically, but anyway) feels flatter.
When I read the genesis of this film, my sympathy does grow. When Kubrick learned that Fail-Safe was coming out, he sued the film for plagiarism and managed to get the release indirectly on hold until Dr. Strangelove already played (and became a big hit). FS flopped. But that doesn't change the fact that this movie really grabbed me less now, even with that chilly last scene included. The stylish 'director trademarks' here (fast zoom, eccentric frame, fast cutting, constant close-up(s)) increase my appreciation for Lumet, but during the film they only contributed to a more intense viewing experience at one point. Narratively and emotionally, the film remained remote - where that apart from the Dr. S-argument, I will probably find out later.
Translated from Dutch · View original
pjmj
-
- 311 messages
- 288 votes
With not even that many special effects, this film managed to keep me on the edge of my seat all the time. What a tension! Beautifully restored edition of Criterion on Blu-ray made for a viewing feast and my hands sweat from the tension.
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