The Man Who Saved the World

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Mike B A travesty of a documentary, so poorly directed, written & executed it takes a deeply troubling historical event and transforms it into a cheap & phoney TV drama. Thank God Peter Alexander never made a another movie. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 11/10/24 Full Review Luki G This film is an extraordinary work of art because it has many layers. The basic message of the film is that love saved the world from cataclysm. This is a deeply religious film because it sends the message that thanks to the fact that Stanislav Petrov's wife, who was seriously ill with an incurable disease, and whom Stanislav loved, that love for his wife, he did not make the fateful decision to retaliate against the alleged atomic attack. in the film, he sees that when his beloved wife has passed away, he loses his strength and becomes somewhat aggressive: he gets drunk and breaks furniture. At the same time, the film shows Stanislav's complex relationship with his mother, from whom he completely distanced himself because he felt that he was not loved enough by her, unlike his younger brother. The film is also religious because towards the end of the film he finds the strength to repent and find the strength to reconnect with his mother in love. Philosophically speaking, the film shows God's grace that allowed Stanislav's moral strength to manifest due to love, as well as allowing Stanislav to stay alive and repent to his aged parent. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/23 Full Review Garry F Loved, loved this movie. A story everyone should know. Yes, he's a bit of an old crank now. That doesn't change a thing. He made the right decision, under terribly difficult circumstances. A fascinating tale, well told. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/08/22 Full Review Audience Member Obviously an important story to make public. When the subject how close humanity has come to a total nuclear disaster, it's nearly always about the Cuban missile crisis, which was more than serious enough. But this was probably closer, and the reason that I'm able to write this review really is Stanislav Petrov and his ability to not panic in the most stressful moment imaginable. However, there have been several other close to doomsday situations with nuclear arms during the Cold War and beyond, but the public rarely or never get to know. The Man Who Saved the World is a documentary, but some of it is obviously staged, with Petrov appearing to be a lonely and misserable old man, opposed to talking to journalists or being followed by any documentary team, but still with a camera crew present at his home to show it. That part is only for the drama, but the basic is very real. The film is free on YouTube and everyone should see it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A charming look at an unassuming man who was in the position of making a world changing decision, and the path his life took as a result. This docudrama felt more like a Borat or Chloe Zhao style film at times, and there is no way this could be categorized as a straight documentary. Through flashback reenactments to 1983 we see our subject/main character forced with the decision of whether to fire retaliatory nuclear strikes as Russian satellites were showing America had launched an attack. The film, rightly so, highlights how important Petrov's decision ultimately was but unfortunately this was not as rare an occurrence as one may think. Many similar films could probably be made highlighting the other instances where miscommunication, technical failures, or just dumb human error, almost caused a nuclear disaster or war. *This brought to mind a book I read many years ago called Command and Control and I would not be surprised if Petrov and this close call were one of the examples highlighted in it. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Essential, compelling, insightful portrait of the man whose decision means I can write this, and you can read this, Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Man Who Saved the World

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