Fail-Safe
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: September 15, 1964 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
EmpireKim Newman
Still an impressive and disturbing brink-of-doom thriller. Read full review
80
The New York TimesBosley Crowther
It packs a melodramatic wallop that will rattle a lot of chattering teeth. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
While this is a wonderful showcase for some fine acting--notably by Fonda--it is not great filmmaking, and one may be left wishing for the biting, off-the-wall satire of Dr. Strangelove. Read full review
70
SlateAri N. Schulman
As brilliant and grotesquely funny as Dr. Strangelove is, the neglected Fail-Safe is the more mature and damning take on the nuclear enterprise. It feels like it could have really happened, and it’s terrifying as a result. Read full review
70
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Eclipsed by its contemporary, Dr Strangelove, Fail Safe eschews the former's black humour and opts for a deadly serious mix of cold-war melodrama and rampant psychosis. Read full review
70
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
Fail Safe is a tense and suspenseful piece of filmmaking dealing with the frightening implications of accidental nuclear warfare. It faithfully translates on the screen the power and seething drama of the Eugene Burdick-Harvey Wheeler book. Read full review
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