Fail-Safe is a 1964 cold war thriller film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the 1962 novel Fail-Safe written by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. It portrays a fictional account of a Cold War nuclear crisis. The film features performances by veteran actors Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau and Frank Overton. Early film appearances include Fritz Weaver, Dom DeLuise, and Larry Hagman as the interpreter.
In 2000, the novel was adapted again as a televised play, starring George Clooney, Richard Dreyfuss, and Noah Wyle and broadcast live in black and white on CBS.