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Command and Control

Play trailer 2:18 Poster for Command and Control Released Sep 14, 2016 1h 32m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 41 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Filmmaker Robert Kenner examines how human error caused an explosion at a nuclear site toward the end of the Cold War and links mutually assured destruction to self-annihilation.
Command and Control

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Critics Consensus

Command and Control takes a riveting look at the American nuclear program that offers some disturbing insights -- and raises some immensely troubling questions.

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Critics Reviews

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Brad Newsome Sydney Morning Herald Survivors give gripping accounts of events, while journalist Eric Schlosser (on whose book the documentary is based) explains that the risks of an accidental nuclear-weapon explosion have always been much higher than we imagined. Aug 2, 2018 Full Review Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle As a child, I worried about nuclear war. It never occurred to me that I should have been worried about a nuclear accident. Rated: 3/4 Oct 12, 2016 Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader The inescapable conclusion is that we have more to fear from our own human error than from our enemies' malevolence. Oct 6, 2016 Full Review Jordan Brooks Vague Visages A chilling look into the US’s nuclear program and the mental states of those directly in control of these weapons. Aug 1, 2023 Full Review Phil W. Bayles One Room With A View Meticulously crafted and deeply disturbing, Command and Control is as riveting as any fictional thriller - more so because of its chilling implications for the future. Rated: 4/5 Apr 2, 2019 Full Review Nathanael Hood Screen Comment These are the things of which nightmares are made. Rated: 8/10 Dec 28, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member nuclear missile explodes and almost takes out the 1980 Democratic convention... documentary... Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/13/18 Full Review Tim G We're all going to die... Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/18 Full Review Audience Member Holy Hell. A must watch. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Confirming everything I suspected-- consistent bad decision making on the part of the military, cover ups, throwing everyone under the bus. but went beyond that in exposing the terrifying dangers of the nuclear weapons program. After viewing this, more than anything i felt for the men involved. Young men who were brave and proud to serve their country who were severely traumatized (at best) and treated horribly as thanks. i happened to have been living in arkansas at the time of this incident yet knew nothing about it and didn't know about it until now. these are the types of exposes that we need to keep pressure on the system to clean up their act. i thought the movie was compelling and well done. it was as much of a nail biter as any hollywood film and more frightening because it is true. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Harrowing documentary about all of the nukes that will inevitably destroy our country. What really struck me about this story of Damascus was the fact that this group of teenagers who were essentially in control of destroying the country at any given moment and were so prepared to press a button and destroy cities, fell apart and/or were scarred for life over their experience of seeing one or two friends die, and potentially having blown up their own cities. It's telling about warfare and death in general, how easy it is to kill millions but hard to see one person die. Then there's also the faceless war-machine that won't even tell the Vice President what's happening.... The whole incident just struck me as sad, all of these people seem stuck in time over this horrific event in their childhoods, and understandably so. The documentary itself is a fascinating look into a horrible event that could have been even worse. Like being told the day you'll die by a psychic, you can't help but laugh and cry over what will most likely be our fate in the end. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member The chilling story of a nuclear â??near-missâ??, and through it the reckless immorality of nuclear proliferation. Itâ??s made for TV, and traditionally constructed with talking heads, reconstruction (in a museum-ified facility) and archive footage, but the blending and editing of these is particularly skilful and effective. It leaves you with the news that there are 7000 warheads still on US soil, slowly degradingâ?¦ Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Command and Control

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Robert Kenner examines how human error caused an explosion at a nuclear site toward the end of the Cold War and links mutually assured destruction to self-annihilation.
Director
Robert Kenner
Producer
Eric Schlosser, Melissa Robledo
Screenwriter
Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser
Distributor
American Experience, PBS
Production Co
American Experience
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 14, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$46.6K
Runtime
1h 32m