World War III

WW III is a film about political brinksmanship in the face of nuclear war and a thriller about battling against overwhelming odds. The film is about a President who relies on a national guard unit low on ammo to battle russians sent into alaska to destroy the alaska pipeline. The russian premier also relies on his men in alaska as political bargaining chips as well. The film goes from political bargaining to gun battles in the arctic snow of alaska. WW 3 also deals with infighting within the soviet union as the two super powers hurtle towards a nuclear exchange. This film marks one of Rock Hudsons better film roles.

I can believe that this is how it would happen... the approach of the end of the world, propelled by miscalculation, obstinacy, and pride, set in motion at a half-forgotten army base and snowballing along unknown to almost everyone but a handful of footsoldiers on the one hand and a handful of world leaders on the other.

A chillingly credible job of work, this series was.

I've always enjoyed this film mainly due to the fine acting of David Soul (Kudo's Dave!). Many other fine performances are also present - Kathy Lee Crosby's sexy and rugged portrayal gets high marks too. But here's something interesting: the film is good, but if you liked it, you must get the book and read it. The only reason they didn't film it as in the novel is a limited budget (read the book, you'll see what I mean). There were something like 800 russian troops against 50 or so GI's but they had more ammo, weapons, and choppers! And the finale is even more exciting! Read it!

Thankfully, this 1982 miniseries no longer has any contemporary relevance unless you're doing a study of Cold War era movies (I won't comment on the dated aspects of the political outlook, since I've done that with other movies like "2010" and "Dr. Strangelove"). I have to wonder though if the previous reviewer is confusing Brian Keith's performance in "Meteor" with this one, because that was the film where he spoke only Russian. In this one, it was just accented English.

Rock Hudson is credible as the president, though there's really not much to brag about from the rest of the cast. I do have to give the producers credit for their metaphorical depiction of the end. Gil Melle's music accompanying the images is probably the most frightening sounding I've ever heard in a TV score. It's much more eerily effective than the graphic attempts at realism in "The Day After" (and reminiscent of the ending of "Fail Safe").

Like many other reviewers, I loved this when I was a child (about 11). The Carter grain embargo had just ended, the Soviets seemed to be unopposed in Afghanistan, and the Cold War could go either way. I had collected toy soldiers by the hundreds and could gravely reenact the film's last stand battle over and over again. Now that it's finally easy to buy on DVD, I saw it again. In spite of how long it's been, every word of dialog had stuck with me and I hung on each one. This is a very well-written story that refuses to follow tried and true Hollywood formulas. The actors, with Rock Hudson in his last role, gave some of their finest performances for this weightiest of subjects. The heroic little battle reminds me of movies like Zulu and other classic Army fort vs. Native siege flicks. The larger and even better story is the spiraling tensions between the world leaders caused by the this desperate, badly miscalculated gambit. As in Fail-Safe, neither side can win if total war breaks out and cool heads seem to have the upper hand. The constantly shifting assumptions about who is a trustworthy negotiator and who can truly afford to back down is what really makes the movie fascinate like only something like a major plane crash can. This should not happen. Responsible people will of course prevent this from happening. So why haven't they been able to stop it yet? Watch it to find out whether the world gets saved or not. But is it still relevant?

Today's newly militarized Russia is tied down in Ukraine and its economy is tumbling as it blames surprisingly effective Western sanctions. The US is likewise happy to be even more dependent on domestic oil production than in 1982, so a showdown over dwindling essential resources could be as plausible now. I have since added a hitch as a soldier, a political science degree, and three decades more experience in the real world, so I should be so much more skeptical of almost forgotten TV miniseries scripts, right? Not this one. It's like a great novel. The more often you replay it for its depth and unique combination of realistic elements, the more you enjoy it.