DVD Review: Fail Safe (2000)

The original film Fail-Safe, directed by the great Sidney Lumet in 1964, had the distinction of being released at the same time as Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Fail-Safe was based on a novel of the same name by Eugene Burdict and Harvey Wheeler.

Both were sued by Columbia Pictures and the producers of Dr. Strangelove for what they perceived as plagiarism. Strangelove had been based on a similarly themed book “Red Alert.” The case was settled out of court and Columbia ended up with distribution rights to both films. The darkly satiric Dr. Strangelove was released first in 1964 and took away much of Fail-Safe’s thunder when it was released later that year. Both films deal with a computer malfunction/human error leading to a possible war between the United States and Russia.

The original Fail-Safe starred Henry Fonda, Dan O’Herlihy and Walter Matthau and while it is no Dr. Strangelove, still holds up as a great cold-war thriller. George Clooney was so impressed with the material that he sold the idea of doing a live for TV version to CBS and Warner Brothers. Along with a superior cast that you don’t ever get for TV, the film was also shot in black and white. It aired live on CBS on April 9, 2000 and is just now being released on Region 1 DVD. Why it took so long is anyone’s clue but me thinks me has an idea. There are ZERO extras save for a trailer for, you guessed it Ocean’s 13. Coincidence?

Regardless, the 2000 version uses a teleplay by Walter Bernstein who wrote the original screenplay for the 64 version after having been blacklisted for most of the 1950s. The 2000 version is much shorter (86 minutes) due to commercial breaks at the time and several subplots have been removed but the essential story remains the same. At the height of the Cold War presumably in 1964, the U.S. had bomber planes in the air at all times, armed with nuclear weapons to thwart any potential attack by the Russians. The term “fail-safe” is in reference to a fixed point where the bombers have standard orders not to proceed past a certain point without receiving a specific attack code from Strategic Air Command.

The film deals with a horrific, tragic, but thankfully fictional accident in the U.S. Strategic Air Command in which a computer malfunction causes a group of bombers to believe that they have orders to destroy Moscow. A jet airliner has gone off course, and causes the U.S. defense system to go on full alert in the belief that it is a Russian fighter. The brass in Omaha is able to spot that the threat is not real and recall the bombers. However, due to a computer malfunction, the attack code is transmitted to Group Six, which consists of six bombers led by Colonel Grady (Clooney). Grady tries to contact mission control in Omaha to confirm the order, but because of the Soviets jamming the radio frequency, he is unable to make contact. Grady concludes that this means that the last orders are to be carried out so he orders the other five bombers to carry out the attack on Moscow. At this point, it is nearly impossible to stop the attack, as there is no way to rescind the orders. The bombers are trained to ignore all communicated orders including verbal since the enemy could fake voices. In an attempt to show the Russians that this is an accident and not a full-scale attack, a separate squadron of U.S. bombers is sent to destroy Group Six but their efforts are unsuccessful.

The President of the U.S. (Richard Dreyfuss) then gives the Russians permission to shoot down the bombers. All but one of the fighters are destroyed. Grady’s fighter has gotten through and along with his crew members (Don Cheadle and Grant Heslov) prepare to drop their arsenal on Moscow. The President then has to make a gut wrenching decision in order to thwart off a potential Russian retaliatory strike.

Keeping in mind that this was broadcast a full year before 9/11, one gets an extremely uncomfortable feeling while watching especially when the President has to make the decision to appease the Russians. The cast is uniformly outstanding and given the live atmosphere, all bring an immediate intensity to the roles. Of course with a cast like Clooney, Hank Azaria, Don Cheadle, James Cromwell, Brian Dennehy, John Diehl (aka Chief Gilroy for all you fellow Shield-heads out there), Richard Dreyfuss, Sam Elliott, Noah Wyle and Harvey Keitel; you know you’re going to be getting something special. The great Walter Cronkite introduces the teleplay and explains that this is the first live feature broadcast on CBS in 39 years. Look for screenwriter Eric James (of the upcoming White Lies) in a brief cameo as a military general sent to Clooney’s home in an attempt to convince his son to talk him out of following through with the attack.

As you would expect, the production is stagy and there is a lot of dialogue. The director Stephen Frears (The Grifters, High Fidelity, The Queen) keeps the sets simple and stark and there is no background music, which not only highlights the actors but also gives the film an immediate sense of urgency and claustrophobia. The live action is shot with high-definition TV cameras that give you an insider-like feel to the proceedings. The use of black and white is a stroke of genius that while harkening back to the nostalgic beginnings of television again adds to the lingering fear that the worst is yet to happen. While not quite as good as the 1964 version, this Fail-Safe is highly recommended for a rental if for no other reason then the high caliber cast and should be watched with the lights definitely off.

Living in a post-9/11 world, this probably will affect you in a much more profound way then if you watched it live when it aired in 2000. Even though the Russians are now our allies, we already know too well that this kind of doomsday scenario is not entirely implausible. It would’ve been nice to have gotten a behind the scenes featurette/documentary with cast and crew members highlighting the rehearsal process and making of this unique, once-in-a-lifetime project but Warner Brothers gives us nada for extras. The film itself is worth a look but this seems like a rushed attempt by Warner Brothers to cash in on Clooney’s name and build more momentum for Ocean’s 13. As if it needs any more.Fail Safe is now available at Amazon. As of yet, this version of the DVD is not available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.