Fail Safe
A stark Cold War thriller where metallic silence and claustrophobic dread collide. This cinematic pressure cooker transforms human error into a global funeral pyre, visualized as a melting telephone receiver screaming into the void.
Fail Safe
Fail Safe

"It will have you sitting on the brink of eternity!"

07 October 1964 United States of America 112 min ⭐ 7.8 (440)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, Frank Overton
Drama War Thriller
Human vs. Machine The Burden of Absolute Power Ideological Blindness Shared Humanity in Crisis

Fail Safe - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details

Easter Eggs

The 'Vindicator' flight simulator footage

Because the Department of Defense refused to cooperate with the filmmakers, they had to use a commercial flight simulator and stock footage of B-58s to create the bomber interior, which contributes to the film's gritty, low-budget realism.

Relationship to 'Red Alert'

Both Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove are based on books (Fail-Safe and Red Alert) that were so similar they were also the subject of a plagiarism lawsuit, highlighting how pervasive this specific nuclear anxiety was in the early 60s.