The Man Who Saved the World

The movie is a must see for everybody. The story was indeed extremely personal for me as I have studied with Ann Petrova who is a niece of Stanislav. More to say, she was my first childhood love. We have rarely met with Stanislav himself as he was not much seen in the family but he was quiet and no one NEVER EVER told anything about what had happened with him. Despite the fact he should have been proclaimed a national hero hardly anyone knows about him at all. More to say, whenever the story is being brought up it is being treated as a hoax. It is indeed absolutely great that the story was finally told. The world should remember people like him. After all... we are all here because of him:)

Armageddon. Nuclear holocaust. Doomsday. These were the terms that were used during the Cold War. Both the United States and the USSR stood nose-to-nose ready to reduce their respective adversaries to radioactive wastelands. The U.S. public had no idea of the number of near-misses that occurred during this dangerous time. This documentary is about a single man who stood between the world and the end of humanity during one of those near-misses.

I lived through the Cold War. I served aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine. This submarine was not a ballistic missile sub. It was called a "fast attack" or "hunter-killer" sub. What I found out when I served during the early 1980's was that on ballistic missile submarines (boomers) the missiles came out of the top of the sub. On a fast attack, they came out the front.

We carried nuclear weapons. I was within arms reach of a real-live nuclear weapon when I went into the sub's battery bay to do morning measurments. That experience changed me. I did not want to play chicken with things that would have destroyed life on this planet.

My inner turmoil was nothing compared to the choice that Stanislav Petrov faced on September 26, 1983 when the Soviet satellite surveillance of the U.S. strategic forces reported not one, not two, but five incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was his decision to report the missile warnings as false alarms. Had he simply followed established procedures his actions could have touched off a world-destroying nuclear war. The entire world owes this man a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

This film documents the life of the man who saved the world. He never considered himself a hero despite the fact that his decicion allowed civilization to continue on this planet. The film shows that Stanislav wasn't a choirboy. He was a flawed human being. He also endured difficulties that defy description considering the magnitude of the act that he performed in the service of humanity.

The name Stanislav Petrov should be etched in the annals of history as an example of people who have saved far more lives than all of the world's despots have destroyed. He saved even more lives than someone like Dr. Norman Borlaug.

Look it up.

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!

Don't watch this movie if you are expecting a fast paced thriller. Don't watch this movie if you are banking on Kevin Costner acing yet another role. Don't watch this movie if you don't want to know why you are alive!

Any movie that follows a factual event, detailing the circumstances, adding in some personal story, combining that with moments of reverence, deserves an award. This is that movie. More of a 'docu' drama, it fills in some character turmoil, that while unrelated to the core reason for its creation, adds to the ultimate admiration that you have to feel for Stanislav. I for one would willingly line up to shake this mans hand and this movie made me feel inclined to buy a ticket to Moscow to do so.

I was truly moved by the human nature that not only showed throughout, but was the epicenter of the basis for the movie. Add the speech that Kevin Costner gave in Stanislav's honor and you would have to be made of stone not to be moved by the whole thing.

You do not need to have a car chase, a womanizing hero, a crooked cop or any of the over used clichés to make a great movie, all you need is a real hero, some humbled super stars and a dash of reality to make a blockbuster, and this was it.

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!