Fail-safe (1964)

We have nothing to fear

But perhaps the machines we have built to protect us.

"Fail Safe" was filmed in 1964 at the height of the Cold War nuclear anxiety. The premise is that our US technology mistakenly labeled a troubled passenger aircraft as an incoming Soviet bomb and scrambled our own Air Force fighters against Moscow. President (Henry Fonda) and the Soviet Premier must work together to try and diffuse the situation and ultimately to solve the problems our failed 'fail safe' system created.

I am aware this film was redone in color and I am not sure it could ever be as good. The starkness of the black and white adds to the drama and period authenticity of the situation. Plus, Henry Fonda is in my opinion one of the best US Presidents on screen. This film is a classic and well worth the cost of the disc to add to your collection if you are a political science or a war buff.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008 June 9, 2008

FEEL SAFE ?

A "cold war' chiller that still maintains one's attention today after 44 years.While a brilliant, but truly eerie professor (Matthau) is holding center stage at a symposium, pontificating on the number of "acceptable losses" in a nuclear war, a computer malfunction sends an American bomber streaking towards Moscow. As scientists scurry to contact the jet,Fonda, doing a superb job as American President,effectively uses the "hot line",trying to buy time and to allay the fears of the Soviets. The plane is finally contacted, but the pilot has been specifically trained to disregard any orders from anyone once he has flown past his fail-safe point.Fonda then relays an impromptu plan to the Soviets to avoid nuclear warfare. Stay tuned! I would assume that all age groups, once seated, will still find this film downright scary and absorbing. February 2, 2008

A Great, Great movie

Fail-safe happens to be one of the few books I've read. A great book and a fine theatrical adaptation. I feel that Larry Hagman and Henry Fonda gave some of the best performances of their carrers. Very true to the book, in my opinion. I would watch it, commercials and all, each time it would come on broadcast TV and finally checked to see if it was on DVD. An exciting cold war thriller. I highly recommend this DVD. December 21, 2007

Exercise in Tension.

Fail-Safe (Sidney Lumet, 1964)

That Sidney Lumet has traditionally been one of America's finest directors almost goes without saying; this is the man who directed 12 Angry Men, Long Day's Journey into Night, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and Equus, among many, many others. Fail-Safe came relatively early in his career; while he had done a good deal of television work, it was only his sixth big-screen feature. It takes the tension of 12 Angry Men and ramps it up another couple of notches.

The story: a series of mechanical mishaps causes a routine alarm to turn into a potential nuclear catastrophe when a flight of bombers doesn't receive a stand-down signal. With the bombers on their way to deliver a nuclear payload to Moscow, the president (Henry Fonda) gets into a frantic series of impromptu peace talks with the Soviet premier. Meanwhile, we're also given glimpses into the cockpit of the lead bomber, the control room where things went wrong, and a Pentagon war room whose cast have become last-ditch advisors to the President. Their job is somewhat complicated by the presence of a pundit (Walter Matthau) who believes this is the perfect opportunity to launch a strike that would wipe the Soviet Union off the map forever.

While it's never explicitly stated, the action seems to take place in real time. This is a tricky trope to pull off (and when it doesn't work, it really bombs, viz. Brian de Palma's Snake Eyes), but Lumet handles it perfectly. As well, Lumet, who is well-known for getting the best out of actors, wrings every last drop from everyone involved here. And there are many-- Fonda, Matthau (as with many comics, put Matthau in a serious role and he gets scary), Dan O'Herlihy, Frank Overton, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, Dom DeLuise, and many others turn in fantastic performances. When filming a suspense movie, though, great performances can only get you so much; the director also has to have a sense of timing. Spend too long in one scene and you kill the pace; speed up too much and you've got an action flick where nothing happens. Lumet keeps it right where it needs to be. And, of course, you need something unforgettable, something that will stick in the viewer's mind for years after they've seen the film (and in 1964, you had to do it within the confines of the "we don't have a ratings system, but you'd better be family-friendly" atmosphere of Hollywood). Without giving anything away, that's the movie's final scene. You'll never hear a piercing electronic shriek in the same way again. Well, not that you ever heard it much before, but still.

It's probably impossible to put together a ranked list of Lumet's major films; you'd have too many tied for first, and Fail-Safe is one of them. **** ½
December 20, 2007

A period classic

This film is full of surprises, from the opening inside a dream to its unforgettable conclusion. The solemn twin to the brilliant parody, Dr. Strangelove, it has been overlooked and undervalued. September 16, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...