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.
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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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