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These films leave a mark in more ways than one. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best and most memorable movies that feature nuclear bombs in their plot.
Transcript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best and most memorable
00:14movies that feature nuclear bombs in their plot.
00:22Number 10.
00:23Black Rain After arresting a Yakuza member, NYPD detective
00:27Nick Conklin must take the man back to Japan.
00:34This starts a tale of intrigue that isn't an obvious choice for this list.
00:37Conklin then finds himself interacting with the Japanese underworld, eventually dealing
00:42with the counterfeiter, Sugai.
01:00The latter character details that he survived Hiroshima, and his entire operation is his
01:05way of fighting back against America.
01:07With this richly textured backstory, Black Rain takes on more meaning than the average
01:12thriller with cool action.
01:23While not everyone remembers the Ridley Scott film, it features these kinds of elements
01:28that add to its atmospheric noir story.
01:40Number 9.
01:41The Sum of All Fears It might not be the most remembered Jack Ryan
01:49movie, but The Sum of All Fears features an underrated plot.
01:53Neo-Nazis try to play Russia and the U.S. against each other with a nuclear bomb.
02:08In a heart-pounding scene, the president is evacuated from a football game shortly before
02:13detonation.
02:14Ben Affleck's CIA analyst steps in to solve the mystery in an effective thriller.
02:19Ryan helps discover the origins of the device, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats
02:24throughout.
02:35The movie grips you with its initial premise, and even has the guts to blow up a nuclear
02:40bomb without having the hero defuse it.
02:43It might not be totally groundbreaking, but this 2002 film packs more punches than you
02:48might have guessed.
03:03Number 8.
03:04The Spy Who Loved Me Even with their outlandish plots, many James
03:12Bond adventures still deal with some real-world issues, like the Cold War.
03:24The Spy Who Loved Me features a villain out to steal submarines, start a nuclear war,
03:30and turn the world into his own aquatic paradise.
03:46It's somehow even more outrageous than it sounds.
03:50Thankfully, 007 is there to save the day, in one of Roger Moore's best entries.
03:56Karl Stromberg's megalomaniacal plan plays out like a heightened version of the usual
04:00evil plot.
04:02It might not be the most realistic movie of its kind, but this film certainly gives the
04:05audience entertaining set pieces set around a nuclear threat.
04:17Number 7.
04:18Crimson Tide
04:22Tony Scott's film isn't just a perfect showcase for two great actors.
04:26It's also an engaging thriller about difficult choices, with a nuclear submarine debating
04:31whether or not to fire their missiles.
04:36The executive officer fights with the captain, after receiving a message to launch, and then
04:41loses the radio before hearing a follow-up order.
05:00Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman square off in this intense drama, creating two strong
05:05arguments over how to proceed.
05:07The fate of the world rests in their hands as the crew comes to blows.
05:13Before it's all over, this chilling tale will have you sweating over how close they come
05:18to making a mistake.
05:31Number 6.
05:32Threads.
05:40Created for television, Threads is a haunting experience from start to finish.
05:56The docudrama approaches the threat of an apocalypse with shocking believability.
06:00Ordinary British citizens go about their lives, while foreign powers escalate their aggressive
06:05tactics.
06:06Even as preparations for a doomsday scenario are put through, the resulting blast renders
06:17society almost uninhabitable.
06:27The scenes depicting the initial blast are disturbing enough, but there's also the grim
06:31aftermath that reveals what happens to the survivors.
06:34It's one of the most blunt statements against nuclear proliferation ever created.
06:39Large sections of this movie could be considered a horror film, revealing the long-term effects
06:43of nuclear weapons and radiation.
06:54Number 5.
06:55Mission Impossible Fallout.
07:02As the sixth entry in a long-running series, Mission Impossible Fallout gives viewers the
07:07kind of entertainment they've come to expect.
07:12It also features a plot about three plutonium cores that could fall into the wrong hands.
07:17Naturally, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are out to stop the bad guys.
07:33The story includes all the intrigue of a spy movie, with more than a few surprising twists.
07:38It also lets Tom Cruise do more than a couple of incredible stunts, both skydiving and piloting
07:58a helicopter himself.
08:00Hunt's quest to find the cores includes serious questions about nuclear capabilities.
08:05With so much at stake, this movie gives you a thrill ride that'll have you buzzing long
08:10after the final scene.
08:19Number 4.
08:20Failsafe.
08:21While it might have been overshadowed by Dr. Strangelove, this film is another standout
08:26nuclear story from 1964.
08:31The plot might be close to the Stanley Kubrick project, but this movie is much more serious.
08:36A computer error sends U.S. officials into a panic when bombers accidentally head from
08:41Moscow.
08:55Failsafe depicts the President and others scrambling to stop the attack, with everyone
08:59rallying together to prevent nuclear war.
09:02Henry Fonda brilliantly plays an American commander-in-chief who's torn between impossible
09:07decisions.
09:11In the dramatic ending, this story gives viewers a glimpse at the terrifying implications of
09:16using these kinds of weapons.
09:27Number 3.
09:29The Day After.
09:36When The Day After aired on U.S. television in 1983, it was considered to be a huge event.
09:52The movie gave a bleak look at what could have happened if the Cold War became hot.
09:57Families, students, and medical staff all try to deal with nuclear bombs dropping in
10:02Kansas.
10:03The survivors struggle against radiation poisoning, limited food, and each other.
10:12Making you consider how you might react to the same event, it puts you right in the middle
10:16of the horrific tragedy.
10:26Many original viewers likely never saw nuclear weapons the same way again.
10:39Number 2.
10:40Oppenheimer.
10:42With director Christopher Nolan at the top of his game, Oppenheimer is a historical epic
10:47but with no expense spared.
10:57He brings together a monumental cast to tell the story of the title physicist and his role
11:01in the Manhattan Project.
11:03Cillian Murphy gives a nuanced and detailed performance as the father of the atomic bomb.
11:22While taking a look at the build-up to the Trinity Test, Nolan also shows the man's personal
11:26and professional setbacks after World War II.
11:34The filmmaker delves deeply into the scientific and political importance of such an important
11:39event.
11:40This project will likely remain the definitive take on the story, while films like Fat Man
11:45and Little Boy have tackled similar topics before.
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12:19Number 1.
12:20Doctor Strangelove.
12:23Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this Cold War satire follows what happens when a crazy general
12:28tries to launch an attack on Russia.
12:42His insane and darkly funny reasoning sends the U.S. government into a frenzy.
12:52While trying to avoid a nuclear war, President Muffley and his advisors come to realize the
12:57potential for global annihilation.
12:59Peter Sellers leads this impressive cast in three separate roles that help sell the absurd
13:04plot.
13:05Even with all the jokes, Doctor Strangelove still presents a possible scenario for mutually
13:10assured destruction.
13:28There's also the iconic climax that features Slim Pickens' character riding a bomb like
13:34a rodeo bull.
13:51Did we forget another great film featuring a nuclear bomb?
13:54Let us know in the comments below!
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