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From Amazon.co.uk
Director Lucy Walker (Wasteland, Blindsight) has created an urgent film about the nuclear weapons amassed at the height of the Cold War. Their status is precarious: in the former Soviet states stockpiles of nuclear material are largely unguarded and, in portions, unaccounted for. In the West, a pared-down nuclear arsenal is kept on a hair-trigger with a chain of drilled service personnel operating independently--a military ‘dead hand’ to push buttons should the unthinkable occur. Both scenarios are scary. On a long enough timeline, the film reasons, low-probability accidents eventually occur while, if acquired, terrorists could easily build a weapon from black-market materials. The film then stages the circumstances of an accidental or malicious detonation with such spine-chilling plausibility you begin to wonder how the Earth hasn’t already been reduced to a planetary apple-core. To its credit, the film establishes itself without using traditional anti-nuclear rhetoric, while interviews with worried former statesmen--including Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev and Jimmy Carter--give substance to the eerie sense of existence-risk that dominates this documentary. --Leo Batchelor
Product Description
Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by Academy Award ® nominated documentarian Lucy Walker (Waste Land, The Devil s Playground, Blindsight), the film makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament and features an array of important international statesmen, including Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Matthew K
Format:DVD
Just finished watching the film, it's very detailed in it's nightmare scenarios layed out by those who have experience working in and around the nuclear weapons business, so cannot simply be dismissed as 'propaganda' as another reviewer has stated. One of the better documentaries I seen, I especially liked the last 15 mins where those experienced contributors also lay out many possible remedies, some so easy and obvious it make you wonder why they haven't already been implemented.
By A. Rose
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fantastic documentary. The contribution of academics, former world leaders and former heads and members of various organisations such as the CIA give this documentary a level of detail and information that makes it fascinating. Yes, it does have an end game about how nuclear weapons should be gotten rid of, however this is only addressed in a propaganda like manner in the last 10 minutes. The rest of the film is spent looking at the risks of a nuclear fall out. Using the 'nuclear sword of Damacles' quote by JFK it looks at the three great threats of nuclear war; a mistake, war, and terrorism. It is fast passed and intriguing, using footage of nuclear weapons inter shot with commentary by the a fore mentioned experts and people involved with nuclear weapons. It doesn't insult the intelligence of those watching, explaining elements of nuclear war if it is needed, but not in a patronising manner, but with a level of respect for those watching which seems to be rare in documentaries, especially American ones. All in all, I would heartily recommend this DVD to anyone who is interested in the history of the nuclear threat.
3 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Davy B
Format:DVD
I was excited when this DVD arrived, but it turned out to be a big disappointment.
The second half has a reasonable, if make-believe, message - "Get rid of all nuclear weapons", hence the title. It was scary to see how slack the Americans are at looking after their nukes.
The first half, however, is pure propoganda to reinforce the importance of the war on terror. "What if a scary terrorist was to get a nuclear weapon???". I was upset to find Valerie Plame contributing [she must have needed the money]. She explains how some Russian guy managed to steal 1.5kg of uranium from a power station, how easy it would be to smuggle a shoe-box amount into the US, ... But her own husband was sent to Niger to investigate whether they had supplied any uranium to Iraq for Saddam's weapons programme. Her husband concluded Niger could not have supplied any, since truckloads of the stuff would have had to travel through villages that rarely see any traffic, so someone would have noticed. What's a terrorist going to do with 1.5kg? Put it on his mantlepiece??
The write-up said it covered the history of the nuclear bomb, but the film is much more a propoganda campaign. When I read "by the people who made An Inconvenient Truth" on the cover I should have known.
The second half has a reasonable, if make-believe, message - "Get rid of all nuclear weapons", hence the title. It was scary to see how slack the Americans are at looking after their nukes.
The first half, however, is pure propoganda to reinforce the importance of the war on terror. "What if a scary terrorist was to get a nuclear weapon???". I was upset to find Valerie Plame contributing [she must have needed the money]. She explains how some Russian guy managed to steal 1.5kg of uranium from a power station, how easy it would be to smuggle a shoe-box amount into the US, ... But her own husband was sent to Niger to investigate whether they had supplied any uranium to Iraq for Saddam's weapons programme. Her husband concluded Niger could not have supplied any, since truckloads of the stuff would have had to travel through villages that rarely see any traffic, so someone would have noticed. What's a terrorist going to do with 1.5kg? Put it on his mantlepiece??
The write-up said it covered the history of the nuclear bomb, but the film is much more a propoganda campaign. When I read "by the people who made An Inconvenient Truth" on the cover I should have known.
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