Contrary to what some find objectionable or even biased, the Soviet Union was, at that time, literally on the brink of what is depicted to have happened in this faux documentary.
I found this production unbiased and well-researched, showing that many within both the Soviet politburo and military were against any military action, as were their counterparts in the west, but that an alternative was impractical for their survival.
The use of news footage reminds us that the events shown did happen. Of course, they are not linked to the events depicted - sometimes occurring in different regions or even countries. But their use does show us that the human condition is very fragile and governments and populations can explode into erratic, violent directions sometimes with little more than fine print writing on the proverbial wall.
As someone who not only lived through that era, but served in a capacity to have access to many events that went unreported, I can say without fear of contradiction that this film does not even scratch the surface as to the amount and severity of close calls and opportunities for war which have occurred.
Many times by luck and others by the action of even a single individual prevented what might have been a third world war.
All in all, I found this to be a wholly believable scenario of a Cold War 'what if...'.
I found this production unbiased and well-researched, showing that many within both the Soviet politburo and military were against any military action, as were their counterparts in the west, but that an alternative was impractical for their survival.
The use of news footage reminds us that the events shown did happen. Of course, they are not linked to the events depicted - sometimes occurring in different regions or even countries. But their use does show us that the human condition is very fragile and governments and populations can explode into erratic, violent directions sometimes with little more than fine print writing on the proverbial wall.
As someone who not only lived through that era, but served in a capacity to have access to many events that went unreported, I can say without fear of contradiction that this film does not even scratch the surface as to the amount and severity of close calls and opportunities for war which have occurred.
Many times by luck and others by the action of even a single individual prevented what might have been a third world war.
All in all, I found this to be a wholly believable scenario of a Cold War 'what if...'.