" Mr. President , . . We Must Not Allow a Mine-Shaft Gap!!! "

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 2008)

In all the years of film making, Peter Sellers never disappointed an audience. No matter what the part, he always seem to find the perfect voice and therefore, his character. If you put him together with other equally great character actors like, George C. Scott who plays maniacal Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson and Sterling Hayden as the insane Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper (Jack The Ripper?) and the Slim Pickens as Maj. T.J. 'King' Kong, James Erle Jones as Lt. Lothar Zogg, the bombardier and Peter Bull as the Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky, then you not only have an award winning film, but the secret formula for a Classic. The story is set in the sixties, during the Cold War and a lunatic Air Wing Commander intentionally gives the "Gold Code Signal for his wing to attack Russia. What follows is a dramatic minute ticking film, designed to illuminate the military's ignorance, stupidity and final acquiescence of the doomsday, 'Fail-Safe' device. The entire movie is a comedy of errors and one reflected of Standly Kubrick's genius. The one sequence where Major Kong rides a nuclear missal to its target is synonymous with the mentality of the pentagon. Through the passage of time, this superb movie has not only become a Dark Classic, but a possible statement of the future reality of the human race. ****