The Man Who Saved the World

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!

Wow. Pause. Breath. Exhale gratitude. Inhale inspiration,

I watch loads, movies or docs, trying never to dip below 7.0 IMDb rating, plus a review that connects with me. I fail sometimes. But not with this.

This documentary blew me away.

This documentary elegantly and in eloquent honesty tells two intertwined stories of how humanity is saved, as a whole and also as one single mother-son relationship, both just in time, with not a minute to spare.

Well done!

Oh, and thanks Stanislav, by the way!!

Since 1961 the U.S. had U.S. Army Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs) with 1.1 Megaton Thermo Nuclear Warheads targeting Moskow from U.S. Army Bases at Italy and Turkey. U.S. Army also had Multi Role, Nike Hercules Missiles with 20 KT Nuclear Warheads as Anti Aircraft, ABM, and Surface to Surface as Short Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs).

1980s I was assigned to the U.S. and NATO Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe, I.N.F. Europe. Including doing a similar kind of Nuclear Control Order Duty, that would order the launches of the German and U.S. Pershing Missiles, starting Thermo Nuclear World War 3. Not only are you walking on a razors edge you are juggling a bunch of hollow glass balls.

Was much more serious Worldwide than portrayed, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were at other Nations involved in actual Armed "Conflicts". The U.S.S.R was attempting to get control of Five (5) Nations in a Row, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, to get the U.S. and U.S. Allies out of the Middle East.

U.S. sent Us U.S. Army Special Forces to the Iran Iraq Wars, to assist U.S. Ally Iraq. Like Us leading U.S. Ally Iraqis Combat Units, the U.S.S.R. Spetsnaz and KGB were "Assisting" U.S.S.R. Ally Iran.

U.S. sent Us U.S. Army Special Forces attached to the CIA to Afghanistan as CIA Operation Cyclone to train, arm, lead Pro U.S. Afghans (that became Northern Alliance since 1990 fighting the Taliban) and kill as many U.S.S.R. 40th Army and Pro U.S.S.R. Afghan Military (that 1989 became the Taliban) as possible creating "Unacceptable Losses" for the U.S.S.R..

December 1982 U.S. started to prepare for Able Archer 1983, the U.S.S.R. Warsaw Pact Nation of East Germany Intelligence, Stasi East German Spies had infiltrated the Federal Republic of West Germany's Bundeswehr U.S. Pershing 1 Command and Control Center and most of NATO posing as West German Bundeswehr Officers, Stasi East German Intelligence was reporting to the U.S.S.R. that the U.S. and NATO were planning a First Strike Nuclear Attack against the U.S.S.R. from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Europe, flight time to Moskow less than 5 minutes. The location that Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was at as U.S.S.R. Command and Control, Early Warning, was definitely targeted by one or more West German Pershing 1a and or U.S. Pershing 2. In response the U.S.S.R. moved their Mobile Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles from the U.S.S.R. into Warsaw Pact Nations bordering NATO Nations. A Stasi East German Spy finally convinced the U.S.S.R. that NATO's Nuclear Capabilities were Defensive, not what the U.S.S.R Intelligence believed that NATO's Nuclear Capabilities were Offensive First Strike (Attack) Weapons targeting the U.S.S.R. and Warsaw Pact Nations. After the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and Warsaw Pact Nations, the Reunified Federal Republic of Germany Government released the Stasi East German Intelligence Agencies Files, revealing how close, 1982, the U.S.S.R. was to doing a Pre Emptive Nuclear Attack against the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe before Able Archer 1983.

After participating with the Iran Iraq Wars, and CIA Operation Cyclone, I returned to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe.

The U.S. and U.S.S.R. were already nearly at War, when this September 26, 1983 U.S.S.R. Incident happened.

So thankful that the U.S. did not treat Us like U.S.S.R. Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov.

Much later after the Fall of the U.S.S.R. and the creation of the Russian Federation, I met my Counterpart, he also was of the U.S.S.R.'s Strategic Rocket Forces like I was of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe and switched to Special Forces. He never admitted that his Special Forces, U.S.S.R. Spetsnaz, were hunting Us at both the Iran Iraq Wars, and CIA Operation Cyclone (was in his U.S. Intelligence file), U.S.S.R. Spetsnaz Sniper shot and nearly killed one of my Lieutenants.

We talked about lots of things still not for Public Information.

U.S. Informal Declaration of Thermo Nuclear World War 3 from his knowledge of U.S. putting Pershing IRBMs in the upright launch mode, my guess was he wanted me to confirm that happened, I did not.

He mocked me for being only the Rank/Grade Officer I was, and he was a General.

U.S. needs to give him some kind of Medal, Award, with some kind of money, pension attached. United Nations must award him some kind of money also. Nobel Committee Nobel Peace Prize that does have money attached so that he doesn't have to live like as depicted in this movie.

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!

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:)