Kubrick's Best Film

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2001)

Being a great fan of the late, great Stanley Kubrick it is difficult to try and single one film out as being better than any other. However, I do firmly believe that nothing he ever produced ever bettered this 1964 (or maybe 1963 depending on which source you believe) offering. Made during the height of the Cold War, with everyone fearing nuclear combat, this was certainly a daring project and one that could have met with harsh criticism, it is a comedy after all. Thankfully, it is now regarded as one of the greatest films of all time and quite rightly so. The story is alarmingly plausible in a number of ways; General Jack D. Ripper (played with aplomb by Sterling Hayden) loses his mind and immediately orders a nuclear air strike against Russia. He then proceeds to lock himself inside his military base and tells his soldiers - unaware of his mental deterioration - to kill anyone who approaches. Locked inside with him is Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (played by the awesome Peter Sellers), a nervous, unassuming chap who tries desperately to convince Ripper to give him the three letter code needed to recall the planes.
At the same time, the leading American military figures, along with the President and his entourage, meet in the War Room and try to work out what their course of action should be. Amongst the group is General Buck Turgidson (the hilarious George C. Scott in what I regard is his best role), an edgy and excitable fellow who cannot wait to begin fighting the "Rooskies". He tries desperately to convince US President Merkin Muffley (Sellers again) that violence is the best course of action, but is met with little support. It isn't long before the Russian Ambassador is called in and is told the news. He is met with suspicion by General Turgidson who is soon grappling with him, which results in one of the finest lines ever heard in cinema ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"). With the planes approaching their targets, the Russian President is contacted by phone ("Could you turn the music down a little, Dmitri?") and it is revealed that Russia has a secret plan which will have huge implications for the future of the planet. Enter the mysterious Dr. Strangelove (yes, that is Peter Sellers again) who has his own plan which could conceivably save mankind. But will there be enough time to put it into action?
A joy from start to finish (and what a finish it is), I just love this film, and I know many others do too. If you haven't seen it, please do so and see just how witty and ingenious cinema can be, and if you have seen it, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say that this film is Kubrick's best and also one of cinema's very best. They truly do not make them like this anymore.