7.1/10
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41 user 5 critic

By Dawn's Early Light (1990)

PG-13 | | Drama, Thriller, Action | TV Movie 24 April 1990
By Dawn's Early Light Poster
The crew of a nuclear bomber attack the Soviet Union while the President of the United States tries desperately to regain control of his military after his helicopter crashes during a ... See full summary »

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Writers:

(novel), (teleplay)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
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Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Cassidy
... Moreau (as Rebecca DeMornay)
... Alice
... President
... Condor
... Colonel Fargo
... Harpoon
... Sedgwick
... Tyler
... Hooker
... Radnor
... General Renning - 'Icarus'
... Looking Glass Colonel - 'Sam'
Randal Patrick ... O'Toole
... Bascombe
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

The crew of a nuclear bomber attack the Soviet Union while the President of the United States tries desperately to regain control of his military after his helicopter crashes during a limited nuclear exchange in this film with a scenario similar to Fail-Safe (1964) and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Originally a made for cable movie, it concentrates on the relationship between a veteran pilot and his female co-pilot and the president's attempt to wrest control away from a war-mongering successor. Written by Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

woman wearing a mask | soviet union | pilot | military | bomber | See All (28) »

Taglines:

Four People. Three Minutes. Two Choices. One Chance For Survival.

Genres:

Drama | Thriller | Action

Certificate:

TV-14 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Matte World Digital

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

24 April 1990 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Grand Tour  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The role in a nuclear war of the SAC mobile command post, or "Looking Glass" airplane was previously shown in the Cold-War drama The Day After (1983). See more »

Goofs

The view of the aircraft carrier is reversed, as the angled deck is on the wrong side of the ship. Also, this makes the ship's hull number 18, which was the USS Wasp, not the USS Midway (CVB-41). If the image was not reversed, the hull number would be 81, which has not been built as of the year 2007. See more »

Quotes

Fargo: Hell, most Soviet bombers are so old they still use propellers. The Minnesota Air National Guard could probably knock them down.
Harpoon: Well, do you want to get on the phone and order them into the air, Colonel, because every transistor in Minnesota is BURNED OUT!
See more »

Connections

References Cool Hand Luke (1967) See more »

Soundtracks

DON'T CALL HIM A COWBOY
Written by Debbie Hupp, Johnny MacRae and Bob Morrison
Performed by Conway Twitty
Courtesy Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products, Music City Music Inc.
(administered by EMI April Music Inc) and Southern Days Music (administered by CMI)
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Compelling cold war tale
18 March 2001 | by – See all my reviews

When a nuclear missile is launched by presumably Soviet forces toward Turkey, the beginning of the ultimate war to end all wars WW 3 is started. Powers Boothe, his girlfriend and copilot Rebecca DeMornay and their flight crew take off in a B 52 on what they believe is just another drill only to find out that this is the real deal. While they fly their mission toward Russia the US and Russia exchange nuclear blasts. The movie, originally made for HBO, tells a realistic tale of what could be if the controls of the nukes get in the wrong hands and with Russia, being the way it is today, this could be a prophetic movie. A very well done drama with some good acting, a little over the top by Booth, but it will keep you watching and most importantly make you think. On a scale of one to ten... 8
15 of 19 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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