Preceded and overshadowed by the film “Dr. Strangelove,” “Failsafe” provides a serious version of a nuclear weapons crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union. The plot in “Failsafe” is remarkably similar to its satirical cold-war counterpart with the National Command Authority having to prevent full-scale nuclear war after one its bomber squadrons accidentally receives the “Go” code to strike Moscow. A computer communication malfunction at the US Air Force’s Strategic Air Command is the culprit, and within minutes, the President dispatches fighters to shoot down the bombers after his service chiefs recommend the course of action. The fighters are unsuccessful and the President begins working with the Soviet Premier to prevent the bombers from reaching their target. Under the President’s orders, SAC is online with the Soviet High Command to help intercept the bombers. After one of his Air Force generals predicts the likelihood of a bomber getting through, the President seeks a solution to prevent nuclear retaliation, which provides a shocking ending to the story. Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” pulls no punches in its humor and portrayal of high-ranking government officials, its comedic treatment leaves viewers with the feeling that such a scenario would never come to life. “Failsafe” on the other hand projects a chilling atmosphere as the leaders and staffs of two major powers come to grips with the crisis, and overcome their cold-war rivalries to solve the problem. Fail-Safe Best Price: $3.87 Buy New $8.25 (as of 08:35 UTC - Details)

The story is portrayed in four places; the President’s bunker, the Pentagon’s operations center, the SAC headquarters, and the cockpit of the flight commander leading his bombers into Russia. The big star in this feature is Henry Fonda as the President; his performance is so convincing that he probably could have run for office. Other standouts are Walter Matthau, the civilian advisor who is the “Devil’s Advocate” on the Pentagon staff, and Dan O’Herlihy as “Blacky,” an insightful Air Force general and old friend of the President, who is eventually called upon to carry out the President’s solution. The other significant player is Frank Overton as the SAC Commander, maintaining order in his headquarters while his air staff border on mutiny while assisting the Soviets in locating the bombers. There is Ed Binns as the bomber pilot, torn between his duties and doubts when the NCA and SAC attempt to recall him over open communication channels. Last but not Dr. Strangelove, Or: H... Best Price: $2.29 Buy New $6.54 (as of 08:45 UTC - Details) least is Larry Hagman, who turns in a great performance as the President’s translator.

Included on the DVD is a bonus feature about the production of the movie, where the actors and writers discuss the movie’s plot and it’s similarity with “Dr. Strangelove” that resulted in a lawsuit. They also talk about having to bootleg footage for the aircraft depicted, because of lack of cooperation from the Air Force, resulting in most of the action represented on graphic display screens in the SAC headquarters and the Pentagon. Despite these constraints, they produced a movie that still puts viewers on the edge of their seats as time runs out with the bombers getting closer and closer to their target. The impact of the feature was enough to warrant a special message in the end credits to assure audiences that such an event could never occur.

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