The China Syndrome
1981
An explosive thriller where a TV news crew inadvertently films a startling, controversial incident at a nuclear power plant and a veteran engineer becomes a prime target for murder. Read more
| Starring | Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas |
|---|---|
| Director | James Bridges |
| Genres | Drama |
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The China Syndrome
An explosive thriller where a TV news crew inadvertently films a startling, controversial incident at a nuclear power plant and a veteran engineer becomes a prime target for murder.
| Starring | Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas |
|---|---|
| Director | James Bridges |
| Studio | UCA |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 56 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Top Thrillers |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Subtitles | DVD: Czech, English, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Polish, Turkish |
| Released | DVD: 13 Oct 2003 Production year: 1981 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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A genuinely chilling “what if...” thriller in which savvy foreman Jack Lemmon just prevents an atomic meltdown at a nuclear power station. The government tries to hush it up, but TV newswoman Jane Fonda (in one of her best performances) and radical cameraman Michael Douglas (who also produced) probe for the truth in a solidly exciting movie still packed with political relevance. The cautionary conclusions were given a great deal of credence by life imitating art when the Three Mile Island near-tragedy occurred a few weeks after the movie opened. Note the complete lack of background music — Douglas felt music would trivialise the events.
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Topical thriller-with-a-moral, absorbingly done in the old style but perhaps in the end a shade too hysterical and self-congratulatory.
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Most helpful member's review
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Jack's great, but Fonda's a bit of a Lemmon.
Lemmon is totally watchable as the ordinary everyman confronting his realisation that his faith and certainties about the nuclear industry he's spent his life working for could well be misplaced. The early sequences are very well done, brilliantly building the the tension of the nuclear 'incident', and the plot rattles along well enough from there. Sadly, and unusually, it's Fonda that lets the side down, being unconvincing in her role as a TV reporter. She comes across as an actress acting the role of TV reporter, rather appearing to be actually be one!
Still, this is well worth watching for Lemmon, and for the relatively low key, unostentatious narrative style and direction. -
Most recent members' review
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Jack's great, but Fonda's a bit of a Lemmon.
Lemmon is totally watchable as the ordinary everyman confronting his realisation that his faith and certainties about the nuclear industry he's spent his life working for could well be misplaced. The early sequences are very well done, brilliantly building the the tension of the nuclear 'incident', and the plot rattles along well enough from there. Sadly, and unusually, it's Fonda that lets the side down, being unconvincing in her role as a TV reporter. She comes across as an actress acting the role of TV reporter, rather appearing to be actually be one!
Still, this is well worth watching for Lemmon, and for the relatively low key, unostentatious narrative style and direction. -
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An explosive thriller where a TV news crew inadvertently films a startling, controversial incident at a nuclear power plant and a veteran engineer becomes a prime target for murder.... -