# Fail Safe (1964)

> A grim command-room thriller in which a technical failure propels American bombers toward Moscow and forces the President to negotiate against nuclear annihilation.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/396

## Facts

- Runtime: 112 min
- Genres: Thriller, Drama, War
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Cast: Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver, Larry Hagman, Frank Overton, Edward Binns, Dan O'Herlihy, William Hansen
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058083/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Mood: grim, paranoid, claustrophobic, cold war history viewing, serious movie night

## Synopsis

A tense standoff between nations escalates as a mistake threatens global annihilation.

## Movies like Fail Safe

- [Panic in Year Zero! (1962)](https://ember.film/movie/16645)
- [The Hunt for Red October (1990)](https://ember.film/movie/1111)
- [The Brink of War (2026)](https://ember.film/movie/112704)
- [The Bedford Incident (1965)](https://ember.film/movie/10678)
- [A House of Dynamite (2025)](https://ember.film/movie/3260097)
- [Ice Station Zebra (1968)](https://ember.film/movie/10625)
- [Telefon (1977)](https://ember.film/movie/13236)
- [Meteor (1979)](https://ember.film/movie/25504)
- [Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)](https://ember.film/movie/1497)
- [Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)](https://ember.film/movie/8802)

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