The 10 greatest movies about nuclear war
Unfortunately, there’s a lot to be worried about as we make our way deeper and deeper into the 21st century. If climate change and the cost of living crisis weren’t enough to fill our appetite, the existential threat of nuclear weapons seems like a constantly looming presence, rearing its head every now and then when the global superpowers lock horns and grease up the sprockets and cogs of the big red button.
Discussions regarding the creation of nuclear weapons were also brought to the surface upon the release of the Christopher Nolan biopic turned blockbuster Oppenheimer, the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Starring Cillian Murphy alongside an A-list supporting cast of Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr and Emily Blunt, the film has got popular culture talking once more about the violence and ethics of such weapons.
Successfully tested on July 16th, 1945, in New Mexico, and later detonated on August 6th and 9th over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the resulting deaths of between 129,000 and 226,000 people have been written into the books of human history. Unsurprisingly, such a massive world event also prompted countless pieces of fiction and documentary filmmaking, giving us some critical and urgent pieces of art.
Take a look at the ten best movies about nuclear war below, including classic films from the likes of Stanley Kubrick, Lynne Littman, Shôhei Imamura and Christopher Nolan.
The top 10 movies about nuclear war:
10. Miracle Mile (Steve De Jarnatt, 1988)
From the lighthearted, if outdated, laughs of Revenge of the Nerds to Steve De Jarnatt’s bleak drama Miracle Mile, lead star Anthony Edwards proved his acting range throughout the 1980s. Taking on the role of Harry Washello, a young man who takes a chance phone call that tells him that a nuclear missile will hit his city in 70 minutes, Edwards gives a surprisingly gripping performance, reeling audiences into this crafty existential drama.
As well as a neat thought-provoking piece of cinema of its time, Miracle Mile remains a pertinent piece of sci-fi cult fiction, largely thanks to its harrowing depiction of nuclear war that stays with the viewer well after the final credits.
9. Testament (Lynne Littman, 1983)
Based on the Carol Amen novel The Last Testament, the 1983 adaptation, simply titled Testament, from the pioneering female filmmaker Lynne Littman, told the story of the life of a normal suburban American family whose life is irreparably damaged following a nuclear attack. A harrowing examination into what an attack of such magnitude may feel like on home soil, Littman’s movie shares a likeness with Mick Jackson’s UK-based Threads.
It is in the screenplay of John Sacret Young and the lead performances of Jane Alexander and William Devane that the film truly blossoms into life, however, with the former even receiving an Oscar nomination for her contributions to the movie.
8. When The Wind Blows (Jimmy T. Murakami, 1986)
The first, but not the last, animation to hit this list, Jimmy T. Murakami’s 1986 film When The Wind Blows is a film of eerie melancholy and emotional drama. Telling the story of an English couple’s attempts to survive the aftermath of a nuclear explosion and lead as normal life as possible, the hybrid of traditional and stop-motion animation remains a pertinent piece of animated fiction.
Based on Raymond Briggs’ graphic novel of the same name, the film featured voice work from the likes of John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft and was celebrated for its touching characterisation and frank approach to its subject matter.
7. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan, 2023)
The most recent movie on this list is the Christopher Nolan biopic Oppenheimer, which chronicles the life of the father of the atomic bomb. The American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was a complex individual whose morals were constantly fluctuating, and lead actor Cillian Murphy does an excellent job expressing this, giving the best performance of his career as the brooding yet fiercely intelligent man.
As well as a gripping biopic, Nolan does what Nolan does best, creating a swirling cinematic epic that features undoubtedly the most accurate and stomach-churning nuclear explosion ever put to Hollywood film.
6. Black Rain (Shôhei Imamura, 1989)
As discussed in the introduction, nuclear weapons have only been used on two occasions throughout human history, with both being dropped over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Whilst Western cinema can explore the implications of using such weapons, Japanese cinema offers unparalleled insight into the catastrophic impact on the victims after the world-changing event.
Shôhei Imamura’s Black Rain, based on the novel of the same name by Masuji Ibuse, follows the life of a family in the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and is one of the best examples of cinematic fiction that deals with the prickly topic of nuclear weapons. Though slow and plodding, the pacing of the film exacerbates the suffering of the central characters, with Imamura telling a beautifully shot story that is hard to forget.
5. Barefoot Gen (Mori Masaki, 1983)
We said animation would make a return on this list following the inclusion of Jimmy T. Murakami’s When the Wind Blows, and we weren’t lying. Barefoot Gen, by director Mori Masaki, is an adult animation based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Keiji Nakazawa, which tells the story of the bombing of Hiroshima from the first-hand perspective of a small boy.
A genuinely disturbing piece of animation, Masaki goes to great lengths to make his nuclear explosion scene as realistic and as shocking as possible, creating a breathtaking set piece that’s sandwiched between an emotionally wrought classic.
4. White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Steven Okazaki, 2007)
In trying to reflect the whole landscape of cinema, Steven Okazaki’s documentary about the nuclear attacks that bookended WWII has also made our exclusive cut of movies. An HBO documentary created in unison with the 62nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the film is made up of interviews with Japanese survivors and four Americans who were personally involved in the attacks.
It should be said outright that Okazaki’s film does not make for easy viewing at all. In fact, the film contains some unforgettable first-hand stories that go far to truly illustrate the horrors of nuclear war.
3. Threads (Mick Jackson, 1984)
Many of the films on this list lay out the visceral terror of nuclear war in quite some detail, but few do it with the same disturbing creative verve as Mick Jackson’s Threads, a terrifying piece of fiction that presents the idea of an atomic bomb dropping on the humble city of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Shot as if it’s a mere piece of TV drama, Threads took hundreds of people by surprise in 1984 and remains an iconic piece of British television.
A frank and brutally honest breakdown of each stage of a nuclear attack, Threads is a pretty pessimistic vision, but this is the point, with the film leading to greater public understanding of the use of such weapons.
2. Dead Man’s Letters (Konstantin Lopushansky, 1986)
You can always count on the Russians to make a great piece of jet-black drama, and Konstantin Lopushansky’s Dead Man’s Letters is no different. Telling the story of a group of intellectuals who are trying to piece together a new world in the barren wasteland of Earth following nuclear destruction, the film centres on the life of a history teacher attempting to contact his son through desperate letters.
What we’re left with is a science fiction masterpiece that examines grief with genuine cinematic innovation and a haunting script that speaks to the anxiety, uncertainty and decay of life after nuclear destruction.
1. Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
Too often do the films of Stanley Kubrick top lists that discuss the very best in cinematic storytelling, but it’s quite simply true, Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is the greatest movie that addresses nuclear war.
Sure, most of Kubrick’s masterpiece spends time with the clueless politicians and military leaders who are trying to prevent nuclear war in the war room, where serious debate is treated like tomfoolery thanks to the incompetent figures that fill each chair. Peter Sellers’ titular Dr. Strangelove is the most iconic of the lot, but George C. Scott’s Gen. ‘Buck’ Turgidson and Peter Bull’s Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky are equally insane.
A thoroughly enjoyable satire of Cold War era politics, Kubrick makes sure to bookend his film with one ominous message, playing Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ over footage of nuclear explosions in one of cinema’s greatest and most haunting endings.