Movies Like Fail Safe (1964)

Fail Safe is a 1964 drama, thriller, war film from Sidney Lumet with a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and Godzilla.

Drama Thriller War

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

1964

After the insane General Jack D. Ripper initiates a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union, a war room full of politicians, generals and a Russian diplomat all frantically try to stop it.

8.1

MagicScore

Godzilla

1998

French nuclear tests irradiate an iguana into a giant monster that viciously attacks freighter ships in the Pacific Ocean. A team of experts, including Niko Tatopoulos, conclude that the oversized reptile is the culprit. Before long, the giant lizard is loose in Manhattan as the US military races to destroy the monster before it reproduces and it's spawn takes over the world.

5.6

MagicScore

Iron Eagle II

1988

Chappy Sinclair is called to gather together a mixed Soviet/U.S. strike force that will perform a surgical strike on a massively defended nuclear missile site in the Middle East. Chappy finds that getting the Soviet and U.S. Pilots to cooperate is only the most minor of his problems as he discovers someone in the Pentagon is actively sabotaging his mission.

4.5

MagicScore

Seven Days in May

1964

A U.S. Marine Corps colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.

7.3

MagicScore

Iron Eagle

1986

When Doug's father, an Air Force Pilot, is shot down by MiGs belonging to a radical Middle Eastern state, no one seems able to get him out. Doug finds Chappy, an Air Force Colonel who is intrigued by the idea of sending in two fighters piloted by himself and Doug to rescue Doug's father after bombing the MiG base.

5.6

MagicScore

Fail Safe

2000

Cold War tensions climb to a fever pitch when a U.S. bomber is accidentally ordered to drop a nuclear warhead on Moscow.

6.9

MagicScore

The Sum of All Fears

2002

When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.

6.4

MagicScore

Thirteen Days

2000

The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962—the nuclear standoff with the USSR sparked by the discovery by the Americans of missile bases established on the Soviet-allied island of Cuba.

7.0

MagicScore

Rhapsody in August

1991

An elderly Nagasaki hibakusha spends a summer caring for her four grandchildren, whose curiosity about the 1945 bombing stirs buried memories and moral questions. When an American nephew from Hawaii visits, the family confronts grief, guilt, and the possibility of reconciliation across generations.

7.2

MagicScore

#10

Team America: World Police

2004

When North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il orchestrates a global terrorist plot, it's up to the heavily armed, highly specialized Team America unit to stop his dastardly scheme. The group, which has recruited troubled Broadway actor Gary Johnston, not only has to face off against Jong-il, but they must also contend with the Film Actors Guild, a cadre of Hollywood liberals at odds with Team America's 'policing the world' tactics.

6.7

MagicScore

#11

Downfall

2004

In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.

7.9

MagicScore

#12

Strategic Air Command

1955

Air Force reservist Lt. Col. Robert "Dutch" Holland is recalled into active duty at the peak of his professional baseball career.

6.1

MagicScore

#13

The Idealist

2015

A whistle blower attempts to reveal the secret behind a nuclear disaster that occurred during the height of the Cold War.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Take Point

2018

On the day of the U.S. presidential election in 2024, a team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct North Korea's politician in an underground bunker below the Korean Demilitarized Zone. However, they get caught in the crossfire which causes tensions to escalate to the brink of World War III.

6.9

MagicScore

#15

Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At!

1966

During World War II, two French civilians and a downed British Bomber Crew set out from Paris to cross the demarcation line between Nazi-occupied Northern France and the South. From there they will be able to escape to England. First, they must avoid German troops – and the consequences of their own blunders.

7.9

MagicScore

#16

Blast from the Past

1999

Following a bomb scare in the 1960s that locked the Webers into their bomb shelter for 35 years, Adam now ventures forth into Los Angeles to obtain food and supplies for his family, and a non-mutant wife for himself.

6.8

MagicScore

#17

Akira

1988

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.

7.9

MagicScore

#18

Gorky Park

1983

Police Inspector Renko tries to solve the case of three bodies found in Moscow's Gorky Park but finds his attempts to solve the crime impeded by his superiors. Working on his own, Renko seeks out more information and stumbles across a conspiracy involving the highest levels of the government.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Despite the Falling Snow

2016

New York, 1961. Alexander Ivanov, a high-ranked Soviet bureaucrat, reluctantly defects to the West while is part of a diplomatic mission, feeling the grief of being unable to know the fate of his wife Katya, whom he has had to leave behind in Moscow. Only many years later, in 1991, he will finally find out the truth when his niece Lauren travels to Moscow to participate in a painting exhibition.

5.7

MagicScore

#20

Mayday

2026

When a U.S. Navy pilot on a top-secret mission during the Cold War gets trapped behind enemy lines, his only chance at survival is to form an alliance with an eccentric ex-KGB agent.

7.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Fail Safe?

The top films similar to Fail Safe by MovieMagicScore are Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (8.1), Godzilla (5.6), Iron Eagle II (4.5). Each shares drama/thriller/war themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Fail Safe worth watching?

Fail Safe holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10 from 436 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Fail Safe?

Fail Safe (1964) is a drama, thriller, war film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau, Fritz Weaver.

Where can I find more recommendations like Fail Safe?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Movies like Godzilla Movies like Iron Eagle II Movies like Seven Days in May Movies like Iron Eagle Movies like Fail Safe

About movies like Fail Safe

This ranked list pairs Fail Safe (1964), a drama and thriller and war film from Sidney Lumet, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Henry Fonda take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

← Back to Fail Safe