The greatest satire of the Twentieth century

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2009)

On his first day in office, Ronald Reagan reportedly asked to visit the White House's 'War Room'. Much to his chagrin, it didn't actually exist, having merely been invented for Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. (This was the same Reagan who once believed the Bomb could be 'recalled' after it was launched.) You can't really blame him; the funniest, most frightening take on mutually assured destruction ever dropped on cinemas, released a few months after the Cuban missile crisis, seems so authentic because it dares to articulate certain terrible truths. Strangelove, satire? You must be joking. This film is note-perfect, from Terry Southern's script to Peter Sellers's astonishing juggling act. And, of course, that war room.