"It will have you sitting on the brink of eternity!"
Fail Safe - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
The machines work so fast... they are so intricate... that very often a human being just can't know whether a machine is lying or telling the truth.
— Gordon Knapp
Context:
Spoken by the technical expert during the initial investigation into the computer error at SAC headquarters.
Meaning:
This encapsulates the loss of human agency. It suggests that our technology has outpaced our cognitive ability to monitor or control it.
I'm not your kind... I'm not a beast.
— Professor Groeteschele
Context:
Spoken to Ilsa Woolfe after she expresses a morbid, sexualized fascination with his nuclear theories at a dinner party.
Meaning:
A chilling ironic statement where the character claims superiority over a woman who finds nuclear war erotic, while he himself advocates for the death of millions as a "logical" necessity.
Who would survive? That's an interesting question. I would predict... convicts and file clerks.
— Professor Groeteschele
Context:
Spoken during the dinner party scene to dismiss fears that nuclear war means the total end of humanity.
Meaning:
Highlighting the absurdity and nihilism of nuclear strategy, where survival is a matter of geography and bureaucracy rather than merit.
Today we had a chance to look into the window of the future... and we didn't like what we saw.
— The President
Context:
Spoken to the Soviet Premier in the final moments as they agree to cooperate to prevent future accidents.
Meaning:
A mournful reflection on the precariousness of the modern world and the recognition that the "peace" they've achieved is built on a pile of corpses.