The China Syndrome
1979 Directed by James Bridges
Synopsis
Sometimes it’s too late to tell the truth.
While doing a series of reports on alternative energy sources, an opportunistic reporter Kimberly Wells witnesses an accident at a nuclear power plant. Wells is determined to publicise the incident but soon finds herself entangled in a sinister conspiracy to keep the full impact of the incident a secret.
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Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania suffered a nuclear meltdown on March 28th 1979. Oddly enough, this catastrophic event occurred only twelve days after 'The China Syndrome' was released in US cinemas. The circumstances of the real accident bore an eerie amount of similarities to the events portayed in the film, not least an almost prophetic line in the script about the effects on a population the size of Pennsylvania
Concentrating on an alleged cover up of potentially globally damaging proportions, as partly witnessed and recorded by a small film crew who happened to be at the imagined Ventana Power Plant in California at the time of an 'accident', The China Syndrome was arguably one of the best thrillers of…
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Wow, talk about a slow burn. The China Syndrome takes a little while to get moving, but once it does it takes off like a bullet and doesn't let up until it's devastating finale. I was in a state of awe for the last fifteen minutes at least, as this tale of a reporter trying to expose the unsafe conditions at a nuclear power plant comes to it's close. Jane Fonda plays Kimberly Wells, a TV journalist who has been stuck doing fluff pieces and never getting the "hard journalism" that she desperately craves. When the opportunity to go into a nuclear facility comes to her, she jumps right on it and, together with Michael Douglas' cameraman Richard Adams, begins…
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Sometimes it's just nice to watch people act. There's a lot of great performances in this film, and there's also a very scary message about the risks companies will take to make money. Parts of the movie seem overly sensationalized, but overall, I quite like it.
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A riveting thriller about nuclear plant safety, The China Syndrome manages to convert a technical theme into a chronicle of chaos. The movie appeals to the humane side of you, and explores corruption, deceit and corporate tyranny. The last 30 minutes are mind-blowing. Brilliant.
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An accident at a Southern California nuclear power plant is being investigated by one of it's workers . He uncovers negligence due to greed and wants the world to know. A chilling film that has not lost any of it's impact since it's debut in 1979. One of Jack Lemmon's best performances.
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Absolutely thrilling, especially the last 30 mins, such a powerful and emotional ending. James Bridges did a terrific job in making complex power plant issues exciting even though everything being said and done was too technical to understand. The actors are superb, Lemmon is quite possibly the greatest actor I've ever seen and Douglas is raw and brilliant and Fonda is excellent as always.
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A terrific cast and decent screenplay are all but wasted on what boils down to a better-than-average Movie of the Week in the hands of non-director James Bridges.
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"A very silly story about a cover-up after an accident at a nuclear plant, was saved by Jack Lemmon's acting."
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Holy fucking shit, what a film. It's the child of Network and All the President's Men with a nuclear worst-case-scenario theme. However this doesn't come from bombs or war, it comes from a greedy company that runs a plant in rather shady conditions that lead to the cover up of a potentially devastating accident. Jack Lemon and Jane Fonda were fucking amazing and I was biting my fingernails throughout the whole movie, they were gone in those last 20 minutes. Goddamn...
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Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania suffered a nuclear meltdown on March 28th 1979. Oddly enough, this catastrophic event occurred only twelve days after 'The China Syndrome' was released in US cinemas. The circumstances of the real accident bore an eerie amount of similarities to the events portayed in the film, not least an almost prophetic line in the script about the effects on a population the size of Pennsylvania
Concentrating on an alleged cover up of potentially globally damaging proportions, as partly witnessed and recorded by a small film crew who happened to be at the imagined Ventana Power Plant in California at the time of an 'accident', The China Syndrome was arguably one of the best thrillers of…
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Wow.. melodramatic crap.. over the top acting.