Agreed...it is a fantastic film(in the sense that a film about the horror of nuclear war can be, of course).
It's got a nasty kind of immediacy(along the lines of THREADS) thanks to it's tight budget and guerilla film making style. It reminds me of another great Brit film, IT HAPPENED HERE, a fauxdocumentary about Britain under a German occupation. Austere and biting, these are the kinds of films that should be made much more often than they ever have been.
If you liked THE WAR GAME, and are a fan of nuke films (and if you can find it) check out
LADYBUG, LADYBUG from 1963. I'm pretty tough on American-made films in this genre as they tend to be a little 'soft', but this one stands up to both the test of time and sharing the stage with THE WAR GAME and THREADS. I would elaborate on the plot a little, but if you do get a chance to see it, it's worth coming to it very fresh.
ps....man, I'm shamelessly plugging now...I can't even talk about nuke films without giving a recommendation of
BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT. It's kind of post-cold war take on FAIL-SAFE. A look at one tense night, as the American command and control structure buckles under the dueling strains of lucid thinking underlings and hawkish successors in the midst of an escalating catalytic nuclear war. Great character actors, tight budget, leans on dialogue to convey the tension....really great stuff. A running argument aboard the command E-4 plane between Rip Torn(the hawkish general, natch!) and Jeffery DeMunn(the clear-thinking admiral) is a stunning testament to two great stage actors. An absolute personal favorite from back when HBO made some damn good telefilms.