Fail Safe
1964 · Movie · NR · 112 min · ★ 7.8 · 84% critics
A technical failure sends an American bomber force toward Moscow, and leaders in the United States and the Soviet Union race against time to stop a nuclear disaster. As pressure mounts, one president must make an impossible decision to prevent a wider catastrophe.
Based on Fail-Safe
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Details
- Years
- 1964
- Release date
- 1964-10-07
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.8/10 (469 votes)
About
You may like this if you want a serious, high-stakes Cold War thriller with constant pressure and strong acting; Not for you if you prefer lighter pacing or satire like The Bedford Incident or Seven Days in May.
Pros: relentless tension; strong performances; urgent Cold War mood | Cons: dated presentation; talk-heavy scenes; some implausible details
Themes
- new york city
- usa president
- general
- atomic bomb
- missile
- cold war
- interpreter
- pentagon
- bunker
- hydrogen bomb
- strategic air command
- bomber
- +7 more
Awards & recognition
- United Nations Awards · 1966 · nominated
Cast & crew
Henry Fonda
as The President
Walter Matthau
as Prof. Groeteschele
Fritz Weaver
as Col. Cascio
Larry Hagman
as Buck
Frank Overton
as Gen. Bogan
Edward Binns
as Col. Jack Grady
Dan O'Herlihy
as Brig. Gen. Warren A. Black
William Hansen
as Defense Secretary Swenson
Russell Hardie
as Gen. Stark
Janet Ward
as Helen Grady
Directed by Sidney Lumet