Ren-Jaz

Fail Safe starts off strongly right from its initial sequence of a negativized dream sequence of a general at a bullfight that is visually expressive and incisive of the director's quasi-self-insert. This general advocates for, of all things, disarmament, and at the end, commits suicide. But the director self-inserts in more ways than just this. The film takes a rather surprising overly moralistic turn -- probably found in the source novel -- of an eye-for-an-eye tactic of self-sabotage and a parable of how machines are too advanced for humans to control. It just seems so wholly unbelievable as to border on absurdity that the president would order the largest city in America to be bombed just to be fair to the Soviets. Overall, a good movie, however, with interesting characters, particularly in the form of Mathau's sociopathic political scientist and Fonda's everyman president. Good acting, action, scenario, editing, but tries too hard to send a message that it doesn't need to.

I feel that I am an odd one out. I find the dancing to be odd, awkward, and boring -- so unpleasant that it almost degrades the quality of the great music, which works better as somewhat of a tone poem. Putting the music to film, play the music over a stark black screen and imitate the scene in Ratatouille of Remy eating cheese and a strawberry; or close your eyes and imagine an uncluttered American west.