The China Syndrome Movie Review

Jack Lemmon, in an Oscar-nominated role, is supervisor at a nuclear plant who uncovers evidence of an engineering flaw that could cause a devastating meltdown. When his bosses react with a ruthless coverup, he takes drastic steps to get the proof to sympathetic TV journalists Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas. Wire-taut thriller (done without ambient music) was considered sf when it opened; then the Three Mile Island accident occurred, and the script – which coincidentally compares the estimated lethal fallout zone to the size of Pennsylvania – seemed too prophetic for comfort. Note the onscreen thug tactics of the nuclear industry, and ponder that General Electric later bought NBC lock, stock, and news division. Produced by Douglas.

1979 (PG) 123m/C Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Wilford Brimley, James Karen; D: James Bridges; W: Mike Gray, T.S. Cook, James Bridges. British Academy Awards ‘79: Best Actor (Lemmon), Best Actress (Fonda); National Board of Review Awards ‘79: 10 Best Films of the Year; Writers Guild of America ‘79: Best Original Screenplay; Nominations: Academy Awards ‘78: Best Actress (Fonda), Best Original Screenplay; Academy Awards ‘79: Best Actor (Lemmon), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration; Cannes Film Festival ‘79: Best Film. VHS, Beta, LV COL