A series of human and computer errors sends a squadron of American B-58 bombers past their fail-safe point and onto a direct course to nuke Moscow. The stalwart President (Henry Fonda), seeking to convince the Soviets it’s a horrible mistake, not a preemptive strike, orders the Strategic Air Command to help the Soviets shoot them down. But one jet manages to elude the Soviet missiles, which dooms the Russian capital and forces the president to make a decision that still makes me squirm. Directed by Sydney Lumet,
FAIL-SAFE is a brilliantly crafted and suspenseful diatribe on the heavy price we risk paying by relying too heavily on technology – and if you think this near-50 year old film has lost its relevancy, you haven’t been reading about Iran and North Korea.
