Cop out at the end

The end of the film is a total cop out. The board of inquiry decided that Captain Ramsey and Commander Hunter were both right. Both men were acting according to the rules and the situation. The film should have been braver.

Ramsey clearly was responding to incomplete orders and would have launched nuclear weapons at Russia. Hunter was right to wait for a proper clarification. The discussion at the start of the film about the use of atomic bombs on Japan, hinted that Ramsey was not an intellectual , but a practical professional officer. His actions would have resulted in a nuclear war had Hunter not relieved him of his command.