This is How Movies Should Be Made

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Pretty good flick but a little unrealistic in it's premise. A previous reviewer commented that the Russian's wouldn't go to war over Saudi Arabia. Likewise, I find it hard to believe that a $10K tanker "fee" imposed by a Soviet client state would lead the US to rushing headlong towards WWIII. Far simpler and less risky to pay the relatively modest fee ( With the price of oil at the time around $70 a barrel and a modest size tanker capable of carrying well over one million barrels... well you do the math) and extract payment elsewhere. The US president came across as a total loon. The motivation just seemed contrived. Otherwise a watchable film.

As an 8 year old boy, i came home to an empty house from a boy scout meeting. this wasn't an uncommon occurrence, as i grew up in small town middle-America in the 80's my parents were likely at meetings of their own, or working late. As a latch-key kid, my babysitter was often the TV. and when i turned it on, 'countdown to looking glass' was in its' final segment, which must have been commercial free. I remember believing that these were actual events, glued to the screen, until the end when the credits rolled. ever since i have wanted to watch the entire thing, again to see if it is as riveting as it was over 20 years ago, but have been unable to locate it.

"The Day After" tried to scare us with it's vision of nuclear horror. It failed. But "Countdown To Looking Glass" worked because it fictionalized the events leading up to a nuclear conflict. You basically watch it like you were watching CNN coverage of a Middle East crisis (except you get a little bit more omniscience.) It was made in 1984 yet I can still remember scenes from it. Scott Glenn's live shots from an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf were so much like Peter Arnett, John Holliman and gang broadcasting from the Al-Rasheed hotel in Baghdad during the first invasion of Iraq. The film doesn't appear to be on DVD which is a shame. This film perfectly captured my fears of nuclear war at this time (I was 18.)

Outstanding Cold War TV movie. I loved this film, it's very shocking. Possibly my favorite Scott Glenn movie next to Gargoyles his debut film. The ending is excellent and, being in the Navy, very scary. Great end of the world as we know it flick. Remember it was made when Breshnav was Leader of USSR!