Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Angelina Jolie
Writer: Jacob Jones
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Angelina Jolie, Harrison Ford, Josh Gad, Hilary Duff
Plot: The year is 1983, minutes after thermonuclear weapons fell onto Kansas and America. Among the flaming wreckage stands what was once a building. There, a group of civilians sneak outside their underground shelter to observe the damage. One of the people in question hears a man gently sobbing underneath a desk and comes up to him. He introduces himself as Jon Ferguson (Bradley Cooper) and begs them to take him to a hospital, having garnered several ghastly cuts, bruises and burns. As the group heads off to find a doctor, Jon enters a flashback to when it all started...
Several hours earlier:
A middle-aged man wearing flashy sunglasses and loud, confident attire sits on his chair welcoming us back to KRT (Kansas Radio Tunes) on 98.9. He greets the public as Jon Ferguson and begins a run through of the greatest rock-and-roll tunes of the 20th century, starting with Rock Around the Clock by Bill Hayley and the Comets. After the song, Jon cuts to a commercial.
Suddenly, the door opens and Jon is surprised to find his boss Peter, owner of KRT (Harrison Ford). He commends Jon on a job well done and notes that in two weeks, he'll be celebrating his tenth year with the company. Jon keeps it humble, saying it was the support of others that got him this far. Peter pats him on the back before getting serious for a moment. The world has always been an unpredictable place. No one can tell what day will be the last. He reminds Jon to live each day with as much zest as possible.
The final commercial begins to play and Peter heads out, letting Jon continue his program. Hey Jude by the Beatles is next on the list. During the song however, he is contacted by the news desk and learns of an invasion of West Germany by the Soviet Union. Upon the song's end, he alerts the public of the news and that he'll stand by for more information before cutting to commercials.
In another part of the world, all the way in Germany, a woman watches as several Russian troops attack German soil, fighting every attack manageable. She jots down some notes before picking up her phone. Jon picks it up, hearing from KTR reporter and fiancee Nicole Dawson (Angelina Jolie). Nicole reveals that she and her team have been watching the situation and have only seen it get worse. It appears the might of the Soviet Union is too much for Western German troops. She predicts America will respond soon.
After relaying the news to the public, Jon turns to Christina Wilbourne (Hilary Duff) all the way from Washington to give a feel on how things are there. Inside a small building, several journalists are busy waiting for the advisor of President Ronald Reagan. Christina explains that the president is currently getting a briefing and that she expects his advisor to arrive shortly. Back in Germany, Nicole leads her team to a safer area, keeping an eye on the action as it follows. She looks up in the sky, finding several cruise missiles flying and jots everything down in her notepad. She soon finds a makeshift shelter to hide under, encouraging her group to remain vigilant.
Jon soon receives word about the cruise missiles and their location. Moscow. It is rumored that America is one of the countries responsible for the attack, the United Kingdom being the other. The response came as Russian troops were hoping to invade and perhaps take over West Germany. He turns it over to a local newcast from CBS where several newscasters from Germany try to explain the situation as best they can. All of a sudden, one of the reporters hears an air-raid siren. He proceeds on as usual only for him to lose connection with the radio. Unnerved, Jon calls for a commercial break.
Frantic, Jon calls Nicole again, trying to get an understanding for what's going on. Shaken up herself, Nicole claims that she isn't sure. Everything seemed to be going fine but then they heard a large explosion. For whatever reason, it seems to have put everything in standstill. Whatever happens, she promises to inform Jon. Jon returns to air soon after, apologizing for the delay and alerting the public of the news. He pauses, the news deck giving him further info. His eyes light up with horror soon, asking quietly if this is true. He reveals that the rumor is that there were five explosions located in West Germany. One such place being by the Berlin wall. To add to this, it is claimed the explosions were nuclear. He stresses that nothing has been confirmed and that KRT will continue to monitor the situation.
Jon takes a step back, trying his best to recollect his thoughts before getting a phone call from Peter. Jon stammers on, his fear and concern starting to show. Peter is more reserved, saying that he feared something would happen. Germany is a place of serious contention for America and Russia. He remembers being in the military for World War two, fighting against the Nazi Reich and how even back then, Germany was a point of concern. Especially regarding what happened if the Allied Powers won. Peter fears that things may only get worse, but assures Jon that panicking is not the answer. Jon remains hopeful that it will all be over soon and hangs up.
The news doesn't get much better, the next thing Jon reveals is confirmation of the rumors of bombs being used in Germany. They do not however reveal whether or not the Berlin Wall was a target. Jon turns it over to Christina who is coming in with the word that the Reagan Administration is set to speak. An advisor comes out, greeting all journalists and giving a speech regarding what has transpired. He reports that Reagan has found these attacks completely unacceptable and is reportedly ready to fire back. He is on the phone with Gorbachev however to see if some form of peace can occur. If not, the president may have to use long range missiles to fight back.
Upon hearing the reports, Jon turns it over to roving reporter Ted Phillips (Josh Gad) who is currently covering a protest in California where people are chanting anti-war slogans. Up to this point, things have been relatively peaceful but he fears that as the situation between America, Germany and the Soviet Union worsens, so will the protests. After signing off, Ted bumps into a protestor who angrily asks him why he can't do a thing about this. Ted explains that he's only a reporter. The answer isn't good enough and he gets shoved aside by the protestor, before it can turn into an altercation, several people manage to hold him back.
Nicole continues to gather updates from the news decks in ABC, NBC and CBS, each one getting worse by the moment. She looks outside, finding several people in a complete panic. Upon talking with them, she learns that an extremely large explosion just went off by the wall. Back at KRT studio, Jon continues to gather information and learns that another major explosion occurred by the Berlin Wall. There is still no report on the talks between Reagan and Gorbachev, though he has to assume things are breaking down. He requests that no one call the station's phone number as many people are starting to call this station for information.
After going to commercial, Jon stands up and paces the floor, thinking about how his fiancee Nicole might be doing and praying for her safety. In Germany, Nicole looks around for people to talk to. No one seems interested however. She finds a small shelter, big enough only for her and sits down to rest, praying for her husband. Jon returns to air, saying that they are soon to hear from President Reagan and will be broadcasting the speech when it happens. In the meantime, he turns it back over to Christina. Christina explains that so far, negotiations between Reagan and the Soviet Union have not been successful but the Reagan administration hopes to curb the situation from getting any worse.
Alas, things do get worse as reports of explosions from Russia come from the newsdesk. Three targets were found. St. Petersburg, Omsk and Moscow, the capital of Russia. Jon makes it clear that it cannot be certain that nuclear missiles were used and urges viewers to keep listening and to expect a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Not long after this report, Jon receives news from Peter that until further notice, KRT will stay on the air to cover the escalating crisis.
Feeling that the worst is over, Nicole heads out of her shelter and observes more of West Germany when someone alerts her to watch the Berlin Wall. She rushes towards it, her jaw dropping to the floor upon finding it burning and spreading like a wildfire. Without warning, the air-raid sirens go off. With her heart pounding, Nicole runs back to her shelter for safety, tears flowing through her face as she hears the loudest explosion yet.
Jon turns it over to President Reagan who is making his speech. He makes the grim report that all attempts to obtain peace with the Soviet Union have failed. Gorbachev has repeatedly failed to listen even after all the warnings. Prior to this, he talked to Congress and in a record fast vote reveals that the United States is officially at war with Russia. Three missiles have made their way to Russia and by this point have already struck. He tells reporters that curfews will be put in place to prevent heavy rioting and that martial law may go into effect should that prove fruitless. He assures Americans to remain strong, urging them to stay home and pray for peace.
Back in California, the protests have broken out into crazed riots with people looting and fighting policemen. Ted watches several protesters get pepper sprayed and forced down to the ground. All of a sudden, he hears a gunshot from his right. He rushes to the scene, finding an officer and protestor on the ground. Not long after, he is attacked by a panicking protestor. Jon soon loses connection with Ted and returns us to the national news, hoping to get word from Nicole soon.
Jon recaps the events and how everything has escalated. He soon receives word that Nicole is ready with some new information. The world soon hears a tear-stricken Nicole inside her shelter giving the report everyone feared would happen. She confirms that a thermonuclear explosion has occurred in Berlin, Germany. The entire government of West Germany has died and many people have been vaporized or left to die. She explains her experiences in excruciating detail before breaking from tradition, revealing that Jon and her were going to get married in a week's time and praises him for his bravery calling this incredible moment in history. She calls him the sweetest man he's ever known and that she loves him.
After she cuts off, Jon tries to fight back tears, realizing that this may have been the last time he ever hears from her. He decides to call for a moment of silence to let the gravity of the situation sink in. Back in Germany, Nicole sits inside her shelter, listening to the screams and flames from outside. Morbidly curious, she peaks her head out to see the damage done. It only grows worse the further she goes. Buildings collapse, people are shown dead or being burnt alive, flames spread and at the very end is what was once the Berlin Wall. Now nothing more than an inferno. This breaks Nicole and she runs off to find the nearest plane back home to America.
By this time, Russian missiles have begun to make their way into the United States causing the Emergency Broadcast System to go off. All across the county, people are given details on what to do regarding the impending attack, reminding folks to stay inside a shelter with enough food or water to last two weeks at most. Jon then lists several places people can go for shelter when the sirens start to go off. He stammers about, realizing that the end is in sight. Jon begs the public to find a shelter and promises to stay on as long as he can. After doing so, he tells the people who've supported him (like his parents, Peter, his college professors, the supporters of KRT and of course Nicole) that he loves them all.
It is the last we hear of him before connection to KRT is lost.
11:45 PM EST, 7 hours after detonation:
Jon lies on a medical bed, looking around at a dark, dreary room observing all the sickly people, some of which are burned or scarred beyond recognition. He soon hears a voice calling for him and finds Nicole standing by his bed. Amazed, Jon asks her how she managed to get back. Nicole tells him that she found a plane at the last moment and that there was no way she could stay. She needed to see her fiancé once last time. The two soon embrace and Nicole sits by Jon, watching him die in his sleep. Another victim of the third world war.
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