A must watch satire

Rating: 9/10 (8 August 2016)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a 1964 movie directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is a brilliant dark comedy depicting the paranoia and fear surrounding the nuclear proliferation at the heights of cold war.
The plot of the movie revolves around the arms race and cold war between USA and erstwhile USSR resulting in a nuclear fallout throughout the world. The movie starts with United States Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) giving the go code to B-52 bombers of his wing for a nuclear attack on USSR without any provocation. He goes ahead and seals himself in his air-base and cuts off all communication knowing fully that it is impossible to recall the bombers without his recall codes.
An emergency meeting is called by President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers) of high profile generals of US Armed Forces at Pentagon. General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) briefs the President about the impending 'moment of truth' and tries to convince him for an all out attack on USSR which is ignored. Meanwhile back at the airbase, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Peter Sellers) finds out that General Ripper issued the go code for no good reason other than 'the commie boogeymen trying to pollute the natural fluids their enemies' and struggles to recall the bombers.
People at Pentagon are also informed of the unstoppable Russian Doomsday device by Soviet Ambassador Alexei de Sadeski (Peter Bull) built to wipe out all life on earth in case Russia is attacked by Nuclear weapons. The combined efforts of Russians and Americans to stop bombers from reaching the target and the American adviser Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers) talking about steps to take in case of doom make the climax of the movie.
Coming to the performances, Peter Sellers without a doubt shines brightly throughout the movie. He managed to play his three characters with equal finesse. George C. Scott and Sterling Hayden did full justice to their respective roles of General Turgidson and Brigadier General Ripper.However this movie solely belong to its director. Kubrick has managed to highlight the absurdity of the unfounded contempt of one towards the other and its consequences. He also brilliantly depicts the dangers of lack of credibility of elements of a power structure.
This movie is definitely among the best political satire movies of all time.