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The Day After

Play trailer Poster for The Day After 1983 2h 6m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes (Jason Robards) maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein (Steve Guttenberg) is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Jay Cocks TIME Magazine Under all the furor, spontaneous or manufactured, and the high urgency, real or prefabricated just for the premiere, is the film, a frail vessel indeed to bear the fate of mankind. Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Tom Shales Washington Post The Day After will upset people. It ought to. Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Scott Rosenberg Boston Phoenix It blends right in with the surrounding mediocrities on the TV schedule; and once you let it into your living room, it will turn off the lights, block the exits, and proceed to dismember your psychological defenses. Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Chris Cobb Ottawa Citizen It is, in a contemporary sense, the most important theatrical program to be shown on commercial television. Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Bill Carter Baltimore Sun To ask whether The Day After is a "good movie" is to ask a pointless question. Good and bad are not at issue here. The operative adjectives are "chilling," "disturbing," "depressing." Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Marc Gunther Hartford Courant Remarkable television. Watching it is an unsettling, upsetting and uncomfortable experience. But, even if you rarely watch TV watch this. Nov 22, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Thomas W shows the lunacy of nuclear war at that time and gives a very realistic account. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/15/24 Full Review mark h Excellent movie. Its like Bethesda took a lot of inspiration from it to create the Fallout universe. Very good movie and stands up well for being 40 years old. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/07/24 Full Review Jacob C The palpable fear delivered by the sub_dialogue grows across the first half of the film (tv/radio). There is a growing intensity that draws from the early 80s struggle. Equivalent to now? Hmm ponder that thought. The delivery of living in a country that is spiralling and "I have no hope of influencing" is a primary exhaust of this brilliant dive into what may come. Watch and overlay to your current situation, The Day After is one that can evoke thought and discussion. Amazing. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/29/24 Full Review Ilson Simão S Entrega o que propõe, foi feito para alertar sobre os perigos da bomba se usadas para guerra Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/24 Full Review Katie S Watching this movie is embedded in my memory as a core memory. I was 11 years old. The hype, the movie did not disappoint this kid. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/21/23 Full Review RB P Lots of recycled stock footage and technical errors. No one would put an outdoor triage hospital under the I-70 bridge where spring flooding would carry the quickly done graves and bodies down the Kaw. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Day After

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the mid-1980s, the U.S. is poised on the brink of nuclear war. This shadow looms over the residents of a small town in Kansas as they continue their daily lives. Dr. Russell Oakes (Jason Robards) maintains his busy schedule at the hospital, Denise Dahlberg prepares for her upcoming wedding, and Stephen Klein (Steve Guttenberg) is deep in his graduate studies. When the unthinkable happens and the bombs come down, the town's residents are thrust into the horrors of nuclear winter.
Director
Nicholas Meyer
Producer
Robert Papazian
Screenwriter
Edward Hume
Production Co
ABC Circle Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
2h 6m