Satirical masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2007)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is one of Stanley Kubrick's most critically and publicly acclaimed films. It is a political and social satire about nuclear war. When a United States general orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union, the President scrambles to cancel the attack and mutually work things out with the Soviet Union. Negotiations seem to work, until it is realized that there is a Doomsday Device implemented to automatically counter-attack any nuclear hits. Needless to say, things become complicated.
The cast is one of the greatest strengths of the film; all the characters are finely crafted and acted flawlessly. Peter Sellers does his legendary performance in three roles (Dr. Strangelove, the President, and Group Captain Mandrake). I do wish that Dr. Strangelove had more screen time; seeing that he was the title character, I expected a bigger influence from him onto the plot. Mandrake was a solid comedy character and the President had a believable, political image. Performances from other actors were also great. George C. Scott as General Turgidson was commendable; his paranoia and fights with the ambassador were classic. Slim Pickens was simply fantastic as the bomber pilot Major Kong, seething with a heavily pro-American mindset.
The technical aspects of Dr. Strangelove are also a strong point. The camera angles and cinematography are excellent. The scenes all have the same dark comedy mood in them. Although there was extensive dialog, it never felt overwhelming. The decision to use "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" as music for the bomber scenes (with no music used elsewhere) was a good choice. There are many nuances that fill even the smallest holes in the movie, and each character is meticulously detailed.
The message is perhaps the most important part of the film, especially when focusing in the context of its release date (during the height of the Cold War). It is basically a satire of mutual destruction, but carries other intriguing implications. There is a lot of sexual imagery, although it is hidden as a second layer to the main plot (although it is mentioned in Dr. Strangelove's ending speech). The whole conclusion was epic and hilarious, and wraps things up just like it should.
Dr. Strangelove is a masterpiece that is rightly praised. In my opinion, it is Kubrick's second best film, and perhaps the greatest comedy movie ever.