Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden
Runtime: 95 minutes

Performances: 10/10
Screenplay: 8/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 6/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: This is not a movie that should have worked. Only Stanley Kubrick could successfully make a comedy about a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1964, only two years after the Cuban missile crisis which saw the peak of tensions between the two superpowers. "Dr. Strangelove" stars the comedic genius Peter Sellers in not one, not two, but three roles. He masterfully plays Lionel Mandrake, a Group Captain trying to convince a crazy General to abort an order he made which could trigger a nuclear war, Merkin Muffley, the President of the United States, who ordered a meeting in the War Room and is talking to his Soviet counterpart to warn him about the situation and try to avoid what could lead to the apocalypse, and finally Dr. Strangelove, an ex-nazi scientist also present in the War Room. With this incredibly well-put movie, Kubrick managed to do two things: turn fear into laughter and make a very concealed thriller that is very dialogue driven and reminiscent of classics like "12 Angry Men". I really enjoyed this film, even though watching it today doesn't really have the impact it had when it first came out.

Final Grade: 8/10