culmo80 The films are nearly identical in terms of plot, pacing, and scenes, but the execution is slightly different.The movie is set in the 1960's at the height of the Cold War. It's actually weird to think that there are now living adults who were born AFTER the Cold War, so I don't know if the mindset of those times can ever be known by future generations. Looking back, of course a nuclear arms race is madness, so its easy to see why a film like Failsafe catches on with certain crowds. The central theme of the film is that humanity was/is playing with fire. Nuclear weapons are a threat to all humanity and it only takes one mistake for the worst to happen. That mistake happens through a series of events, any one of which could have been corrected of prevented. What follows is a tense blow-by-blow of trying to correct those mistakes and prevent even worse tragedies from occurring. This is told from the point of views of a bomber crew, the men at NORAD, the Pentagon, and the President. All the actors do a good job in their roles; there are no villains in the film. Everyone has justifiable reasons for their actions.My complaints are that the role of the doctor was either intentionally or mistakenly watered down. In the original, Walter Matthau played an incredibly smart and pragmatic expert who actually makes good points about nuclear war. I felt like the doctor in this one was made to be a farce and a punching bag for the Left Wing.Anyway, this version of the story is good, but not as good as the original. Its still full of suspense and it has that cold realism that most thriller films lack.

Rodrigo Amaro Everything can happen on live television from TV anchors losing their temper over a subject or a mistake performed by someone in the crew; funny things happening behind cameras; and the most common a tragic event filmed just in the moment shocking many of us. What would you think of a film broadcast Live on TV, almost like a play where actors perform in the moment with the possibility of making mistakes, forget their lines and all that? "Fail Safe" remake of the 1964 classic starring Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau was the example I'm mentioning and it was filmed live in 2000 starring a great ensemble cast featuring names like Richard Dreyfuss, George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Brian Dennehy, James Cromwell, Don Cheadle, Sam Elliott, John Diehl and Noah Wyle. It might be an awkward experience now that is available on DVD, it's gonna look like there's nothing exceptional except for being a good movie (better than the original I must say) because you won't notice that it was something performed live. Those who watched while it was happening in front of their faces must have loved the idea. One of the funny and troubled aspects of filming live is the use of actors in many different sets at a time e.g. Harvey Keitel had to run from one set to another in order to have his performance captured in time. The concept behind the scenes must have been very difficult, with many rehearsals along with a complex text that didn't make it easy on the actors, not to mention the whole crew behind this project and their almost impossible tasks. But in the end it all works great!Beautifully filmed in a HD camera in black and white by the wonderful cinematographer John A. Alonzo and directed by the great creator of "Dangerous Liasons" Stephen Frears, "Fail Safe" is a story set during the Cold War with the nuclear hysteria among Americans and Soviets (not based on a true story though). The biggest event here happens when a American Military plane invades the Soviet Union accidentally after receiving orders of attacking the communists but this order was a fail delivered by the new computer system on board of the plane. And worst than this is the fact that the military on the plane can't answer to the American President (Richard Dreyfuss) and or their own superiors simply because their voices can be faked, they think that this could be a false warning. So in this chaos the military crew believes in the lie and doesn't trust the truth. If the plot sound familiar it is. It is "Doctor Strangelove" but without the funny jokes. In case you don't know this but "Fail Safe" (the one directed by Sidney Lumet) and Kubrick's film were released in the same year and by the same distributor which caused a clash between these two films and the rest is history, Kubrick film was acclaimed and Lumet's dramatic story was something laughable at the time. So don't expect humor and too much cleverness in this film, it is a more serious approach of the mass hysteria caused by possible attacks with atomic bombs during the bitter days of Cold War.I really wish that the idea of TV movies being broadcast live become something more recurring. After all this experience was great, every actors were wonderful with no exceptions (Dreyfuss and Dennehy were outstanding) and it was very well made. 10/10

TanakaK I see some very high ratings and praise for this version of a real classic. I suspect that many of these comments are coming from young people who have not seen the original film.This was a very laudable effort in revisiting live television production, basically propelled by George Clooney. My hat's off to the cast and crew, as this is a technique that's not been seen since the 1960's. There was no editing in what you see here; it was performed (on separate stages) exactly as you see it recorded on the DVD. Even in the heyday of live television productions (1950's) this would have been an ambitious undertaking.Unfortunately the casting made this look like a college play. Richard Dreyfus doesn't make it as the president. Noah Wylie doesn't make it as the translator. Brian Dennehy is fine as General Bogan, as he has the dramatic chops and the physical stature required. But despite the actors' earnest efforts you yearn to see the original cast in the production. This crew seems to work too hard to mimic the performances of actors who stand just too far above them.If you've not yet seen this production or the original film, I suggest viewing this first. I look forward to future live television performances (although I'm not holding dinner for them). Ideally they'd be original productions.

wig2160 --Contains spoilers-- Excellent mind numbing drama-thriller, a must see film for everyone. Superb acting, from a fabulous cast. Fail Safe tugs at your very core and evokes emotions from love to the vary basic instincts of survival and extreme sacrifice in a climax that will not disappoint. There are many many emotional moments in this film ,but near the end ,when the Airforce pilots son is pleading to his own father not to proceed with his mission, a mission that has been en-grained in his soul to complete no matter what the cost is perhaps the most heart wrenching moment I have experienced in film. I watched this with a heavy heart and was so engrossed that I just sat there at the end of the movie numb from its effects, now thats a great movie.