Fail-Safe Movie Review

A nail-biting nuclear age nightmare, in which American planes have been erroneously sent to nuke Moscow with no way to recall them. This straight-faced flipside to Dr. Strangelove has absolutely no comic relief, and is high-tension all the way through. The all-star cast impels the drama as the heads of the Russian and United States governments try to end the crisis as time runs out. Henry Fonda is impressive as the U.S. president forced to offer an eye for an eye. Fine black-and-white cinematography and an intelligent script top off this great adaptation of the Eugene Burdick/Harvey Wheeler novel.

1964 111m/B Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver, Dom DeLuise; D: Sidney Lumet; W: Walter Bernstein. VHS, Beta, LV COL