Fail Safe (1964)
Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Dan O'Herlihy, Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver star in this high tension high voltage drama of a group of American planes that are sent to deliver a nuclear attack on Moscow due to an electrical malfunction.
Sound familiar?
Almost identical in story to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove which came out the same year, both are based on different source material, and whereas Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove tackles the subject matter as a black comedy, Director Sidney Lumet plays it dead straight with a tight vice grip and different in style and characterization.
An exhilarating, master-class work of bravura filmmaking from Sidney Lumet, the extraordinary cast, most notably Walter Matthau and Larry Hagman in career defining tour-de-force performances, all play their respective roles with searing and chilling conviction, even future comic Dom DeLuise in a rare dramatic supporting role.
Harrowing presentation based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, the results are shattering, an unforgettably powerful, highly atmospheric, nail-biting and edge-of-your-seat Cold War thriller of supreme intelligence that packs one hell of an explosive punch.
Beautiful DVD and Blu-ray presentation with special features that include a revealing Director's Commentary by Sidney Lumet, Theatrical Trailers and a compelling Exclusive Featurette with Screenwriter Walter Bernstein, Director Sidney Lumet, Co-Star Dan O'Herlihy, and others, on bringing Fail Safe to the screen and the Government and Studio problems faced by the filmmakers.
Now available through JB HI-FI on DVD and Blu-ray and all major DVD retailers, or visit the Via Vision website on www.viavision.com.au
UNMISSABLE!
Stars: *****
