Fail-safe (Special Edition)

Fail-safe (Special Edition)

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Movie Reviews of Fail-safe (Special Edition)

Movie Review: Is it possible...
Summary: 5 Stars

The basic set-up is simple; it's the early 1960's and the Cold War is pretty frosty. During the standard investigation of a UFO by the military, a possible incursion into US airspace by the Soviets, the nuclear bombers that are always in the air are sent towards their "Fail-Safe" points, about which they orbit while waiting to be sent to their targets if the UFO turns out to be a pre-emptive attack by the USSR. The alert turns out to be false, an off-course commercial airliner instead of the Red Hoards, and the various flights are recalled. But a technical error occurs, and one flight of 6 aircraft, armed with multiple 20 megaton nuclear weapons, passes beyond its "Fail-Safe" point and heads towards it's assigned target of Moscow.

What happened?! Is this a deliberate act of aggression on behalf of the USA, or is it a "glitch" as they claim, or are they running a double bluff, disguising an act of war as a technical error, or has the situation been engineered by the Russians as a pretext for a devastating counter strike; what are the Americans and the Russians to do, can they possibly trust each other? These are the central questions of the film.

The emotional core of the film is Henry Fonda as "The President;" the decent humanitarian personified. It's as if his character, "Juror No. 8/Mr Davis" from "12 Angry Men," has been made Commander In Chief. As he's desperately trying to convince the Soviet Premier that the nightmare of global destruction they're rushing toward is the result of a dreadful accident, he even uses the same line repeatedly that his character in "12 Angry Men" uses; "Is it possible?!" And these, by far, are the most riveting parts of the film, The President, locked away in his bunker beneath the White House with his interpreter, superbly played by a VERY young Larry Hagman, talking to the Soviet Premier on the Kremlin "Hot-Line."

Knowing that the Russians are watching, the President sends US fighters after the bombers to shoot them down before they can reach Soviet airspace; the attempt fails as each of the fighters runs out of fuel and ditches in arctic waters, losing the crews. He then contacts the Premier and explains the situation, the accident, and discusses what can be done to stop a nuclear war if Moscow is bombed.

And this scene, by far, is one of the most chilling ever filmed. The President, speaking through his interpreter, makes a desperate offer to the Soviets; a terrible sacrifice of blood will be made if even one of the bombers gets through and drops its payload on Moscow. I don't want to say anything else about this wonderful film and ruin it for you if you haven't already seen it, suffice to say, that this scene, almost 40 years on, still has the power to make your blood run cold.

But as superb as Fonda's performance is, the film is not wholly dependent upon him. There is a wonderful ensemble cast headed by Dan O'Herlihy - "The Old Man" from RoboCop - Walter Matthau, Frank Overton, and, in his first staring role, Fritz Weaver. Of the supporting cast, Walter Matthau, as the right wing Hawk, Professor Groeteschele, desperately urging the President to take advantage of the screw-up and nuke the Soviets to dust anyway, thus ensuring the final victory of Capitalism over Communism, almost steals the show; a wonderful performance. And Fritz Weaver, in his first staring role, takes his part and runs with it, as an uptight Colonel, gradually coming undone as the countdown towards WWIII accelerates.

This film, superbly acted by all concerned, even Dom DeLuise in a bit part as a weapons technician, and flawlessly directed by Sidney Lumet, is an almost forgotten masterpiece. Filmed in stark black and white, it has an almost documentary feel about it, and with the story set in just 4 main locations, there's a suffocating feeling of claustrophobia about the whole enterprise. This is, without a doubt, along with 1965's "The Bedford Incident" - WHEN are we going to get a DVD release?!?!?! - the greatest of the Cold War thrillers, and I recommend it without hesitation.

Summary of Fail-safe (Special Edition)