Stanley Kubrick: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

Leave it to the master filmmaker to make the potential of a world-ending nuclear war the funniest black comedy out there. Dr Strangelove is a biting satire of those in power, and pokes fun at the sheer ludicrousness of one of the world’s worst moments. Rarely does a film come about that captures the zeitgeist and emotions of a time so well.

The film follows the story of an unhinged US Air Force General who orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It exists in three different stories: firstly, following the bomber crew on their way to the USSR, US President Muffley dealing with the incident in the War Room and finally, Lionel Mandrake trying to persuade the lunatic General to cancel the attack. Peter Sellers is a powerhouse of acting mastery in the many roles he has in the film, from the stern Muffley, the timid Mandrake and crazed wheelchair-bound former Nazi, Dr Strangelove.

Much like Full Metal Jacket, Kubrick displays the inherent sexual nature and masculinity of military aggression during the Cold War, ultimately showing how it could have easily brought us down in flames . This film becomes more accurate and realistic as time goes on, and you get the impression that this depiction wouldn’t be far from the actual event.

The filmmaker creates an instant pop-culture classic with a heart-wrenching ending that sees it close to the sound of Vera Lynn’s We Will Meet Again. This is perhaps Kubrick’s message of hope for the future.