The Man Who Saved the World (2014) Reviews

• I have never seen anything like this before. Combining narrative and documentary filmmaking for a true and incredible powerful film!

  pa-782014-11-13

  1983. The world holds its breath as the two superpowers United States and Russia are arming themselves against each other with thousands of nuclear missiles. On September 26, Russian radars intercept five nuclear missiles on their way to Russia. Stanislav Petrov is commander-in-chief. The decision that would start World War III rests on his shoulders. Should Russia fire nuclear missiles at the United States in defense? Today, the world still exists, but Petrov himself is a ruined man. A man who, in his own words, is not a hero and who went against all protocol, relying on his own instinct instead of the computers. 'The Man Who Saved the World' is a true pearl. Simply heartbreaking. An epic Cold War thriller that sends shivers down your spine, while also being an extremely gripping story about a man who actually saved the world, but lost his job, his wife and his dignity. A truly wonderful and very fascinating film. I have never seen anything like this before. It combines narrative and documentary filmmaking for a true and incredible powerful film!

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• Thank you Stansilav

  peoplepower-588-2273562015-08-05

  I had to watch almost to the end of the film before I really understood that I had been watching the actual private moments of a man who saved my life. Thank you Stansilav for saving me, for being afraid for me and for all of us, and for saving our beautiful Earth, and saving everyone I love, and everyone I will ever love, and everyone they will ever love, and everyone they will ever love.... Thank you to all of people who made this film for telling this story in the way you did. I don't have a single criticism about the film itself. It's so amazing to watch Stansilav on his journey to America (who is an amazing person and doesn't even know it), and to watch the recreations of that night. You've made a timeless classic. And Stanislav, especially I thank your mother for somehow raising you to be so incredibly stubborn in your self-righteousness! My love to you both. The lord works in mysterious ways.

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• Wow. Pause. Breath.

  SaintNicolas2015-09-01

  Wow. Pause. Breath. Exhale gratitude. Inhale inspiration, I watch loads, movies or docs, trying never to dip below 7.0 IMDb rating, plus a review that connects with me. I fail sometimes. But not with this. This documentary blew me away. This documentary elegantly and in eloquent honesty tells two intertwined stories of how humanity is saved, as a whole and also as one single mother-son relationship, both just in time, with not a minute to spare. Well done! Oh, and thanks Stanislav, by the way!!

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• One of the best film I've ever seen.

  johnstevenspol2014-11-13

  Danish Director: Peter Anthony's unusual, melodramatic THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD, following a conflicted, curmudgeonly Russian who prevented a nuclear war back in 1983 is one of the best film I've ever seen. The fateful events of the September 26th, 1983, during one of the most frozen periods of the Cold War sets the stage for "THE MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD". We follow 44-year old Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov reporting for his shift at Serphukov 15, the Soviet Nuclear Command center. A report of 5 nuclear missiles headed towards Moscow from the United States is confirmed and escalated to the Kremlin by Stanislav. They order him to launch a counter-attack. In that moment, the fate of all mankind rests in his hands. The incident, his decision and the aftermath are depicted with heart pounding suspense. We meet Stanislav Petrov today, now aged 69, surrounded by empty vodka bottles and dust in his tiny flat not far from Moscow. With Galina his translator, he travels to the United States to be recognized for his heroic actions. In the US, he begins a personal journey towards reconciliation and redemption that reminds us of the fragile nature of the human condition. It really touched my heart. Fantastic Film. Supreme directing. A must see!

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• Amazing Cold War thriller

  paulstephensonIV2014-11-14

  "The man who saved the world" is eye-opening and it actually made my eyes tear up several times. It's compelling filmmaking and a fascinating story with which all human beings should familiarize themselves. A Cold War thriller that shows us just how close we came to World War III … and it's not over yet! With a new cold war rising and thousands of nuclear weapons on hair trigger alert, we still live under the same catastrophic danger that Stanislav faced back then. I left the theater feeling that it is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.

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