An All Time Great

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 2003)

minor spoilers.
Its amazing to think a movie can deal with the total destruction of the planet due to nuclear war and make you laugh at the same time, but Dr. Strangelove pulls it off with flying colors.
The movie takes place in two locations. At a U.S. air force base, the base commander has taken it upon himself to launch a nuclear attack against the Soviet Union. He is obviously mad, and hopes his attack will leave the President no other options than to commit to a total nuclear assault. Peter Sellers plays a R.A.F. officer on an exchange program stationed at the base who tries to get the recall codes for the bombers from the crazed general. This is the only way the attack can be averted.
The rest of the action takes place in the "war room" presumably somewhere deep within the pentagon. Here the president (also played by Sellers) confers with his top advisors as they try to deal with the crisis.
George C. Scott delivers a surprisingly great comedic role as General Buck Turgenson, a hawk who tries to advocate the full-scale assault. Sellers plays a third role, the title character, who is a wheel chair ridden ex-Nazi scientist, and now one of the president's top science advisors.
As always, Sellers is flawless (ok, I'm a big fan and maybe not that objective). He pulls off a flat Midwestern accent as the president without breaking a sweat, and his rendition of Dr. Strangelove will leave you rolling.
Oh yes, I just remembered a third action venue in the film. We are brought aboard one of the bombers launched on the assault and watch as they follow the prescribed procedures during their mission. The jet is commanded by Slim Pickens who brings an over the top red neck cracker performance to the screen. There is also a very young James Earl Jones as part of the flight crew. Whenever we watched the scenes which take place aboard the bomber, we are treated to the strains of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" playing in the background.
What is so great about the movie is the the subject is treated with absolute seriousness. There is nothing overtly funny about the movie. Its the little things that are thrown in that make it such a riot. The actors never lose sight of this, and stay in character brilliantly.

Dr. Strangelove is a different kind of film. It makes you laugh, but it also makes you worry and makes you think. In the end its highly entertaining. I give it a 9 out of 10.