Ray Milland and his family are on vacation from Los Angeles--heading towards the mountains. Suddenly, there is a blast in the distance--Los Angeles has apparently been nuked!! Soon afterwards, people all around them begin to panic and lawlessness reigns. Milland takes to this pretty well and it's a dog-eat-dog world--though his wife and daughter are horrified at his ruthless behavior. His son, played by a young Frankie Avalon takes to the new order rather well--becoming adept at the new mantra of "every man for himself".
What I liked about this film best was its look at the worst of human nature. When disaster strikes, you see supposedly good people do very bad things--all in the name of survival and self-preservation. As a doctor later says about the after-effects--"you scrape off and apply enough disinfectant,...there's a chance society will recover".
A tough and rather cynical script, decent acting and a new look at the dangers of nuclear war--this film is a keeper. Surprisingly, Ray Milland not only starred in this one but ably directed as well.
What I liked about this film best was its look at the worst of human nature. When disaster strikes, you see supposedly good people do very bad things--all in the name of survival and self-preservation. As a doctor later says about the after-effects--"you scrape off and apply enough disinfectant,...there's a chance society will recover".
A tough and rather cynical script, decent acting and a new look at the dangers of nuclear war--this film is a keeper. Surprisingly, Ray Milland not only starred in this one but ably directed as well.