SPOILERS THROUGHOUT True story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) who was (allegedly) killed while trying to expose unsafe working conditions at a plutonium processing plant. The owners of the company went so far as to plant plutonium in her house to slowly kill her and prevent her from telling anyone. Boyfriend Drew Stephens (Kurt Russell) and best friend Dolly Pelliker (Cher) try to help her.
In some ways this is a typical Hollywood movie of one person fighting an evil corporation. However this one is true and does not have a happy ending (Silkwood was killed). It's an important story that needs to be told...but this doesn't totally work. It seems too muted when it should be louder--the whole film is so quiet and laid-back it gets annoying...and boring. Also this is WAY too slow. This movie drags on for over two hours and really tests the viewer's patience. Virtually everybody who sees this movie knows how it ends so the slow pace is even more frustrating. The acting by Streep, Russell and Cher is just phenomenal but it doesn't make the movie any easier to watch. A quicker pace could have only helped this. Worth watching for the acting alone...but only if you're patient.
In some ways this is a typical Hollywood movie of one person fighting an evil corporation. However this one is true and does not have a happy ending (Silkwood was killed). It's an important story that needs to be told...but this doesn't totally work. It seems too muted when it should be louder--the whole film is so quiet and laid-back it gets annoying...and boring. Also this is WAY too slow. This movie drags on for over two hours and really tests the viewer's patience. Virtually everybody who sees this movie knows how it ends so the slow pace is even more frustrating. The acting by Streep, Russell and Cher is just phenomenal but it doesn't make the movie any easier to watch. A quicker pace could have only helped this. Worth watching for the acting alone...but only if you're patient.