Top 10 Iconic Movies About Nuclear Bombs

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These films leave a mark in more ways than one. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best and most memorable movies that feature nuclear bombs in their plot.

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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best and most memorable

00:14movies that feature nuclear bombs in their plot.

00:22Number 10.

00:23Black Rain After arresting a Yakuza member, NYPD detective

00:27Nick Conklin must take the man back to Japan.

00:34This starts a tale of intrigue that isn't an obvious choice for this list.

00:37Conklin then finds himself interacting with the Japanese underworld, eventually dealing

00:42with the counterfeiter, Sugai.

01:00The latter character details that he survived Hiroshima, and his entire operation is his

01:05way of fighting back against America.

01:07With this richly textured backstory, Black Rain takes on more meaning than the average

01:12thriller with cool action.

01:23While not everyone remembers the Ridley Scott film, it features these kinds of elements

01:28that add to its atmospheric noir story.

01:40Number 9.

01:41The Sum of All Fears It might not be the most remembered Jack Ryan

01:49movie, but The Sum of All Fears features an underrated plot.

01:53Neo-Nazis try to play Russia and the U.S. against each other with a nuclear bomb.

02:08In a heart-pounding scene, the president is evacuated from a football game shortly before

02:13detonation.

02:14Ben Affleck's CIA analyst steps in to solve the mystery in an effective thriller.

02:19Ryan helps discover the origins of the device, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats

02:24throughout.

02:35The movie grips you with its initial premise, and even has the guts to blow up a nuclear

02:40bomb without having the hero defuse it.

02:43It might not be totally groundbreaking, but this 2002 film packs more punches than you

02:48might have guessed.

03:03Number 8.

03:04The Spy Who Loved Me Even with their outlandish plots, many James

03:12Bond adventures still deal with some real-world issues, like the Cold War.

03:24The Spy Who Loved Me features a villain out to steal submarines, start a nuclear war,

03:30and turn the world into his own aquatic paradise.

03:46It's somehow even more outrageous than it sounds.

03:50Thankfully, 007 is there to save the day, in one of Roger Moore's best entries.

03:56Karl Stromberg's megalomaniacal plan plays out like a heightened version of the usual

04:00evil plot.

04:02It might not be the most realistic movie of its kind, but this film certainly gives the

04:05audience entertaining set pieces set around a nuclear threat.

04:17Number 7.

04:18Crimson Tide

04:22Tony Scott's film isn't just a perfect showcase for two great actors.

04:26It's also an engaging thriller about difficult choices, with a nuclear submarine debating

04:31whether or not to fire their missiles.

04:36The executive officer fights with the captain, after receiving a message to launch, and then

04:41loses the radio before hearing a follow-up order.

05:00Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman square off in this intense drama, creating two strong

05:05arguments over how to proceed.

05:07The fate of the world rests in their hands as the crew comes to blows.

05:13Before it's all over, this chilling tale will have you sweating over how close they come

05:18to making a mistake.

05:31Number 6.

05:32Threads.

05:40Created for television, Threads is a haunting experience from start to finish.

05:56The docudrama approaches the threat of an apocalypse with shocking believability.

06:00Ordinary British citizens go about their lives, while foreign powers escalate their aggressive

06:05tactics.

06:06Even as preparations for a doomsday scenario are put through, the resulting blast renders

06:17society almost uninhabitable.

06:27The scenes depicting the initial blast are disturbing enough, but there's also the grim

06:31aftermath that reveals what happens to the survivors.

06:34It's one of the most blunt statements against nuclear proliferation ever created.

06:39Large sections of this movie could be considered a horror film, revealing the long-term effects

06:43of nuclear weapons and radiation.

06:54Number 5.

06:55Mission Impossible Fallout.

07:02As the sixth entry in a long-running series, Mission Impossible Fallout gives viewers the

07:07kind of entertainment they've come to expect.

07:12It also features a plot about three plutonium cores that could fall into the wrong hands.

07:17Naturally, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are out to stop the bad guys.

07:33The story includes all the intrigue of a spy movie, with more than a few surprising twists.

07:38It also lets Tom Cruise do more than a couple of incredible stunts, both skydiving and piloting

07:58a helicopter himself.

08:00Hunt's quest to find the cores includes serious questions about nuclear capabilities.

08:05With so much at stake, this movie gives you a thrill ride that'll have you buzzing long

08:10after the final scene.

08:19Number 4.

08:20Failsafe.

08:21While it might have been overshadowed by Dr. Strangelove, this film is another standout

08:26nuclear story from 1964.

08:31The plot might be close to the Stanley Kubrick project, but this movie is much more serious.

08:36A computer error sends U.S. officials into a panic when bombers accidentally head from

08:41Moscow.

08:55Failsafe depicts the President and others scrambling to stop the attack, with everyone

08:59rallying together to prevent nuclear war.

09:02Henry Fonda brilliantly plays an American commander-in-chief who's torn between impossible

09:07decisions.

09:11In the dramatic ending, this story gives viewers a glimpse at the terrifying implications of

09:16using these kinds of weapons.

09:27Number 3.

09:29The Day After.

09:36When The Day After aired on U.S. television in 1983, it was considered to be a huge event.

09:52The movie gave a bleak look at what could have happened if the Cold War became hot.

09:57Families, students, and medical staff all try to deal with nuclear bombs dropping in

10:02Kansas.

10:03The survivors struggle against radiation poisoning, limited food, and each other.

10:12Making you consider how you might react to the same event, it puts you right in the middle

10:16of the horrific tragedy.

10:26Many original viewers likely never saw nuclear weapons the same way again.

10:39Number 2.

10:40Oppenheimer.

10:42With director Christopher Nolan at the top of his game, Oppenheimer is a historical epic

10:47but with no expense spared.

10:57He brings together a monumental cast to tell the story of the title physicist and his role

11:01in the Manhattan Project.

11:03Cillian Murphy gives a nuanced and detailed performance as the father of the atomic bomb.

11:22While taking a look at the build-up to the Trinity Test, Nolan also shows the man's personal

11:26and professional setbacks after World War II.

11:34The filmmaker delves deeply into the scientific and political importance of such an important

11:39event.

11:40This project will likely remain the definitive take on the story, while films like Fat Man

11:45and Little Boy have tackled similar topics before.

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12:19Number 1.

12:20Doctor Strangelove.

12:23Directed by Stanley Kubrick, this Cold War satire follows what happens when a crazy general

12:28tries to launch an attack on Russia.

12:42His insane and darkly funny reasoning sends the U.S. government into a frenzy.

12:52While trying to avoid a nuclear war, President Muffley and his advisors come to realize the

12:57potential for global annihilation.

12:59Peter Sellers leads this impressive cast in three separate roles that help sell the absurd

13:04plot.

13:05Even with all the jokes, Doctor Strangelove still presents a possible scenario for mutually

13:10assured destruction.

13:28There's also the iconic climax that features Slim Pickens' character riding a bomb like

13:34a rodeo bull.

13:51Did we forget another great film featuring a nuclear bomb?

13:54Let us know in the comments below!

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