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Movies / On DVD / Fail-Safe
Fail-Safe

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Fail-Safe (1964)

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92 %
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Reviews Counted:13

Fresh:12

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.6/10

Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Following closely on the heels of Stanley Kubrik's DR. STRANGELOVE (all too closely for Kubrick and company, who quickly filed a lawsuit alleging plagiarism), Sidney Lumet's FAIL-SAFE employs a... Following closely on the heels of Stanley Kubrik's DR. STRANGELOVE (all too closely for Kubrick and company, who quickly filed a lawsuit alleging plagiarism), Sidney Lumet's FAIL-SAFE employs a similarly stylized and heightened dramatic structure in its nerve-crushing moral tale. Taking place over the course of a single day, the film follows government and army officials in Nebraska, New York City, and Washington, D.C., as they go about their day supervising, examining, and speculating on the fragile state of affairs engendered by the tense nuclear standoff between the U.S. and Russia. When an off-course commercial airplane triggers the Pentagon's complex "fail-safe" maneuver, leaving an arsenal of nuclear-bomb-carrying jet fighters at the ready, a mechanical error puts the entire world in danger of destruction. Riveting performances from a rich cast are pushed even further by Lumet's stark and ominous direction. Walter Matthau gives an uncharacteristic turn as a cold and contemptuous political scientist unswerving in his convictions that the U.S. must stand strong against the communist menace. Henry Fonda plays the American president who must navigate the complex and urgent political trauma and prevent total destruction, even at an unthinkable price. [More]

Starring: Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver

Starring: Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, Frank Overton, Edward Binns, Russell Collins, William Hansen, Russell Hardie, Sorrell Booke

Director: Sidney Lumet

Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter: Walter Bernstein
Producer: Max E. Youngstein

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 31, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Fail-Safe

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1 - 14 (sorted by date)
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Lumet, o mais subestimado dos diretores, mantém a tensão sempre constante, extraindo ainda grandes atuações de seu elenco e investindo num desfecho impactante e corajoso.

comment Comment
02/02/09
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Tense, chilling and earnest Cold War political thriller.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/19/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/22/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/23/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Still impressive Cold War thriller from a time when WW III seemed inevitable.

comment Comment
10/20/04
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/24/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/01/04
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
02/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
09/02/03
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/03
Josh Gilchrist
Josh Gilchrist
Billings Outpost (Montana)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/06/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Wow! One of the scariest black and white films of all time.

comment Comment
08/08/02
John Urbancich
John Urbancich
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
 
 
1 - 14 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Fail-Safe

March 09, 2006: Trailer Bulletin: Find Me Guilty
Wondering what Vin Diesel's been up to lately? Well, he's been off making a fact-based courtroom flick with ... legendary director Sidney Lumet, that's who. Entitled "Find... More...

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