The China Syndrome (1979)
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82% of critics liked it
(28 reviews) -
76% of users liked it
(8,351 ratings)
This gripping 1979 drama about the dangers of nuclear power carried an extra jolt when a real-life accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania occurred just weeks after the film opened. Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) is a TV reporter trying to advance from fluff pieces to harder… More This gripping 1979 drama about the dangers of nuclear power carried an extra jolt when a real-life accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania occurred just weeks after the film opened. Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) is a TV reporter trying to advance from fluff pieces to harder news. Wells and cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas, who also produced) are doing a story on energy when they happen to witness a near-meltdown at a local nuclear plant, averted only by quick-thinking engineer Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon). While Wells and Adams fruitlessly attempt to get the story on their station, Godell begins his own investigation and discovers that corporate greed and cost-trimming have led to potentially deadly faults in the plant's construction. He provides evidence of the faulty equipment, which could lead to another meltdown (the "China syndrome" of the title), to the station's soundman to deliver to Wells and Adams at a hearing on nuclear power. However, on the way to the hearing, the soundman is run off the road by evil henchmen, leading Godell to realize that his own life is threatened, possibly by his bosses at the plant. Driven to the edge of a breakdown, Godell takes over the plant's control room at gunpoint and demands to reveal his findings on TV. The plant's management, however, has other plans, and the facility itself is becoming dangerously unstable. Whether or not you agree with the film's clear anti-nuclear bias, its sobering message and riveting, realistic story and performances are still difficult to ignore. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Directed By
- James Bridges
- Written By
- Mike Gray, T.S. Cook, T. S. Cook, James Bridges
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
PG,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1979 Wide
- On DVD
- Aug 28, 2001
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
A tightly assembled didactic thriller.
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Variety Staff, Variety
A moderately compelling thriller about the potential perils of nuclear energy, whose major fault is an overweening sense of its own self-importance.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
All a bit too earnest, despite the seriousness of the subject, with Fonda setting her jaw and stepping into father's footsteps as Tinseltown's very own protector of humanity; but it's tightly scripted and directed, and genuinely tense in places.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A terrific thriller that incidentally raises the most unsettling questions about how safe nuclear power plants really are.
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Vincent Canby, New York Times
The three stars are splendid, but maybe Miss Fonda is just a bit more than that. Her performance is not that of an actress in a star's role, but that of an actress creating a character that happens to be major within the film.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Cast
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Jane Fonda
as Kimberly Wells
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Jack Lemmon
as Jack Godell
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Michael Douglas
as Richard Adams
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Scott Brady
as Herman De Young
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James Hampton
as Bill Gibson
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Peter Donat
as Don Jacovich
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Wilford Brimley
as Ted Spindler
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Richard Herd
as Evan McCormack
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Daniel Valdez
as Hector Salas
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Stan Bohrman
as Peter Martin
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James Karen
as Mac Churchill
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Michael Alaimo
as Greg Minor
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Lewis Arquette
as Hatcher
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E. Hampton Beagle
as Mort
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Alan Beckwith
as Technician
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Frank Cavestani
as News Reporter
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Betty Harford
as Woman at Demonstration
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Clay Hodges
as SWAT Squad Leader
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Donald Hotton
as Dr. Lowell
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James Kline
as Jim
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Darrell Larson
as Young Demonstrator
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Joe Lowry
as Security Agent
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Dennis McMullen
as Robertson
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Rita Taggart
as Rita Jacovich
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Dan Lewk
as Donny
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Ron Lombard
as Barney
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Donald Bishop
as Hearings Chairman
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Paul Larson
as D.B. Royce
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Roger Pancake
as Gate Guard
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Nick Pellegrino
as Borden
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James Hall
as Harmon
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Michael Mann
as TV Consultant
