The China Syndrome (1979) User Reviews

Crackerjack thriller!

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 29 January 2006]

Intelligent drama came out of nowhere in 1979 and soon was on the cover of every newspaper in America (when life imitated the film). A nuclear power plant employee in Southern California is threatened by superiors when he decides to go public with the real story behind an accident at the plant. Ostensibly a stuck valve problem, a piece of film secretly recorded by a TV news-crew shows that it was an accident verging on disastrous proportions--and worse, that safety conditions are being scrubbed to save millions of dollars, a cover-up that endangers everyone's lives. The movie occasionally gets too technical (especially in the last sequence) and could use more human interplay; however, the performances by Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda (as a puff-piece newswoman in the right place at the right time) and Michael Douglas (as a freelance cameraman) are superb. The protester asides are both satirical and entirely accurate, and the news-biz (with its corporate structure and vapid yes-men) is well-realized. *** from ****

Places and people on the verge of meltdown...

[Howlin Wolf · 7/10 · 22 May 2007]

All the right elements seemed to conspire here to make this a memorable thriller for years to come. You have the stellar cast - Michael Douglas in an uncharacteristic 'free-spirit' role that pretty much launched his movie career, Fonda playing her typical forthright female doing her bit for womens lib, and Jack Lemmon as assured as ever showing us a man with a crisis of confidence. Give them a hot-button topic about big business being duplicitous, and that's encouraging for a kickoff, but to have life imitating art so soon after is a marketing man's dream.

The script is impressively taut, intelligent but mercifully keeping the jargon to a minimum, and there is a genuine sense of sustained tension brought in play by the director as our three protagonists race to beat the clock. If you like 'whistle blowing' dramas, then this is not quite as good as "The Insider", but the whole thing is more than nervy enough.

I may be wrong, but I'd say you're lucky to be alive.

[lastliberal-853-253708 · 8/10 · 12 March 2011]

Ripped from today's headlines! An explosion at a nuclear power plant on Japan's devastated coast made leaking radiation — or even outright meltdown — the central threat menacing a nation just beginning to grasp the scale of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.

A crew from a local TV station was present when an accident occurred at a nuclear power plant, and the core cam dangerously close to being exposed. Like Japan, this accident was caused by an earthquake. The TV station is trying to hide the story, but the cameraman (Michael Douglas) shows the film he surreptitiously took to experts. Wanting to get out of reporting fluff, Jane Fonda follows up to get the plant expert (Jack Lemmon) to talk.

Fonda is magnificent in this film, and Lemmon shows a whole range of emotion during the accident, and afterward as a man who wants to tell the truth even if it hurts his company.

When a company stands to lose a billion dollar investment, you can be sure that there will be an attempt to murder someone (Daniel Valdez) to keep things quiet.

Lemmon and Fonda were both nominated for Oscars, and probably should have gotten them.

Things depicted in the story have actually occurred in the past (before this film), and it was fascinating to see the reactions of the characters. The writers did a magnificent job, and were also nominated for an Oscar.

What can really be said?

[LionTamarin · 10/10 · 21 January 2003]

I normally don't comment on movies on IMDB, but in this case I feel like I should. I love movies, and I want to make them, and this movie is a perfect example of fine filmmaking.

This is one of the few movies that I have seen on the small screen (originally seeing it air on AMC, I believe, and then on the DVD I just watched) that made me get that feeling in the pit of my stomach. That little gnawing sensation that the director would hope you feel while watching his thriller.

Jack Lemmon's performance is a fine one, and Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas follow. I felt so much empathy of Lemmon, who's character Jack Godell, only wanted people to listen to his warning.

But what impresses me most about this film is the lack of a score, and this is also what makes it beautiful to me. Apart from the opening titles there are no background music to increase the tension, because none is needed. And while the credits run, white on black, in silence it drives the point home.

I use the movie as an example to anyone who says music makes the movie. I think the movie should make the movie and the music should only amplify that. But for The China Syndrome music is not necessary to get across the realism and the urgency depicted here. The characters portray all of this far better than the music ever could.

I highly recommend this movie, it is one of my favorites. If you like movies, you won't be disappointed. If you like movie soundtracks more, you might not want to give this one a go.

Extremely effective storytelling.

[Hey_Sweden · 10/10 · 28 May 2016]

"The China Syndrome" truly is a landmark film. What helps the most in making it so successful is its "docu-drama" approach, giving it a sense of immediacy that you might not ordinarily get in a Hollywood production. For example, there is no music score on the soundtrack, manipulating us to feel a certain way at specific moments. The story (screenplay credited to Mike Gray, T.S. Cook, and director James Bridges) is compelling enough without additional accompaniment. Also, you also feel as if you're really learning something about the machinations of television news as well as the nuclear power industry. And the film turned out to be awfully prophetic: the real life notorious "Three Mile Island" incident occurred not long after.

A small time news station is doing a series of stories on nuclear power, and while they are present at the Ventana power plant, an accident takes place. The powers that be are convinced that nothing serious has happened, but the truth of the matter is far different. There are problems with the plant that only surface after loyal plant executive Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon) is concerned enough to do his own sleuthing. Meanwhile, a TV reporter, Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda), and a radical camera man, Richard Adams (Michael Douglas), realize that they're really on to something big.

Bridges does an expert job at reeling in his viewers, and holding their attention for approximately two hours without injecting his film with unnecessary stylistics. The material is downright fascinating, which helps since Bridges goes for a careful, measured pace. There is action, to be sure, as powerful people do everything they can - like running others off the road, and calling in SWAT teams - to ensure that nothing hurts their business. But at least the ending leaves you with a feeling of hope, that it won't be so easy anymore to cover things up.

The cast is impeccable right down the line: Fonda as the beauty who yearns to get out of fluff pieces and do more substantial news, Douglas as the pesky independent operator, and especially Lemmon. Lots of familiar faces supporting them, too: Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, James Karen, Donald Hotton, Lewis Arquette, Rita Taggart, et al. It's particularly nice to see Wilford Brimley, in his first substantial film role, as Godells' co- worker and friend.

Definitely catch this one. It's a real gem.

10 out of 10.

A chilling, reality-based, horror film.

[moveefrk · 15 May 2002]

"The China Syndrome" is perhaps the first horror film that is not necessarily following the rules of the genre. It takes place in the contemporary '70's, and features people in the normal profession of broadcast television news. But, when a news story about the leakage of nuclear energy breaks; let's just say - there is your monster.

Jane Fonda is absolutely superb as Kimberley Wells, an ambitious Los Angeles reporter relegated only to fluff pieces by her sexist boss (Peter Donat). She wants something juicier, and gets it, in the form of an accident at a nuclear power plant facilitated by Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon with expressions too numerous to count). Her hippie radical cameraman (Michael Douglas, who also produced) photographs the incident without the plant's knowledge and they both agree that public safety is a valid story. The network brass doesn't think so, and soon both Fonda and Douglas are entangled in a web of legalities concerning the tape.

The crux of the film is Lemmon's character. A man torn between loyalty to his company and telling the truth - even in the face of grave consequences. What makes this horror scenario so compelling is that these are true flesh-and-blood people stuck in the most extraordinary of circumstances faced with both a threat of cosmic proportions as well as a human one.

This is a remarkably chilling thriller, and I'm disappointed that it's not taken more seriously (as both art and tract).

A fascinating film on a fascinating subject

[jakebriggs-69109 · 7/10 · 22 November 2018]

The China Syndrome is reminiscent of a time when Hollywood excelled in the making of the conspiracy political film. The China syndrome starts with a bang- Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas are at a nuclear power plant when something goes wrong and they manage to capture it on camera. What follows is an investigation into the cover ups that ensues to make sure there is no panic. All the actors are very good here- Douglas and Fonda as the determined young reporters, Jack lemmon as the shift supervisor who unfortunately gets the blame. The pacing is great and the opening scene with the meltdown are genuinely terrifying.

Had an impact when it was released... and it hasn't lost it over the almost three decades that have passed

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 9/10 · 10 February 2007]

The first thing you see in this film is a static angle(one which will be repeated later in the film), depicting the chaos going on(unseen to the audience) in a studio that airs news. Soon after, Fonda's character's typical story is shown, in that same angle. Don't let this mislead you; the film is not about a female reporter, a woman struggling to succeed in a male-dominated profession. That is merely a lead-in, a way of starting the film(though it's used later). The actual point to this production is revealed gradually, and the first we see of it is in a deliberately long scene early on. The entire film has that pace; not slow or drawn-out, but deliberate. It's never really fast, even in the few sequences that one would normally expect to be so. This pacing(especially because it seems to slow down further as the plot is revealed, as the disturbing, unsettling nature of the film is unraveled) is strong, almost painful to the viewer. It inspires you to, if it had been possible, jump into the screen, grab the people responsible by the collar and yell at them to *do* something about it, to remedy the situation. Never once did I feel like getting up or even taking my eyes off the screen for a moment. The subject is extremely important to be aware of, and it's handled perfectly here. No over-dramatization(well... very little, anyway), just an accurate presentation of the issue. The direction is astounding. The empathy felt for Lemmon's character is profound. The editing is masterful... one scene near the very end illustrates that perfectly. The editor, judging from his filmography, is vastly underrated. The writing was excellent. The acting was great, in particular by Lemmon, Fonda and Douglas(who also produced it). The lack of a score is perfect; no music is needed to enhance. The ending is sublime and effective. The movie does have a few negative points... among them, some of the dialog is obviously and undeniably mainly exposition, one particular part of the film, whilst dramatic, doesn't seem to mesh with something that follows it. Not everyone will watch the film because of two features of it which are commonly (and rightfully so) attributed to bad movies; the pacing(which can be mistaken as being slow) and the (lack of) score. One could argue that to be a negative thing, as everyone ought to consider the points it presents, but maybe it's better this way; handling the heavy subject with the intelligence and respect(for the topic as well as the viewer)... something like this, maybe it shouldn't be spoon-fed. I was mesmerized with the film, and left very taken aback. I recommend this to anyone who believe themselves strong enough to handle it. 9/10

Still A Very Actual Issue

[Breumaster · 7/10 · 14 February 2020]

Whistleblowing is a no go for many professions, but also can safe life. Specially in the case of nuclear power, there should be a special exactness and care. I like the characters, who try to find out what's happening and the importance of their examining search. The movie is well written, has a good speed and the time flies by. Jack Lemmon and his fellow actors around did a good job. I would call it a memorable movie and recommend it.

Don't Let The Title Fool You!

[Chris-147 · 9/10 · 5 May 2000]

The China Syndrome is a perfectly paced thriller and not slow or boring at all, as some people tend to say. The transitions from one scene to another are great and the tension build up in the film will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire two hours. Jack Lemmon is great, as always, as the somewhat nervous plant operator and Jane Fonda succeeds again in bringing some real emotions into the story. You can see this film as a political statement of the time, or just as an intelligently made thriller. Either way it is definitely worth watching.

Bias Gets In The Way Of Drama

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 7 January 2006]

Many people have stated how much this film terrified them when they saw it at cinemas in the late 1970s and I do agree that this could have been one of the most realistic and chilling films of the 20th century where doomsday is concerned ...

... But...

The producers of the movie went and shot themselves in the foot by taking sides . Certainly you never feel you're being preached to while watching but the more you think about it afterwards the more you realise that the audience aren't being allowed to think for themselves

For example if a nuclear power plant comes close to a meltdown as shown here why would everyone with the exception of Jack Godell choose to ignore it ? Surely their lives and the lives of their family are on the line as well ? Surely they'd be worried more about their lives rather than their jobs ? Surely it wouldn't just be left to the lone noble crusader to take on the corporate giants ? And if you think Jack's is a little too quick to turn from loyal company man to anti nuclear eco warrior then I agree with you . That's because the subtext is unapologetically anti nuclear therefore the audience are expected to realise Jack has seen the light even if it feels unnatural from a dramatic point of view

In short Jack is something of a cliché as is the portrayal of the media with ambitious go getting TV journalist Kimberly Wells hot on the trail of an earth shattering story . Certainly casting Jane Fonda has helped because Fonda can act and Fonda knows how to fight her corner . Now imagine how laughably clichéd and one dimensional the role would have been if a pretty blonde bimbo actress had been cast instead ? Same with Michael Douglas cameraman Richard Adams . How many people watched the film thinking " Hey his dad's a famous movie star " or " I preferred him in that cop show with Karl Maldern " or " I can see why he ditched the beard " rather than " Would a cameraman really put his ass on the line for a point of principle ? "

Unfortunately this makes the movie appeal only to people who are vehemently and unapologetically anti nuclear which is a great pity because no matter what divide of the nuclear debate you are on I'm sure we all want answers to the same questions like what safeguards are there in a nuclear plant ? and is it a good idea building nuclear plants in regions that are bothered by earthquakes ? but with this movie no one will have their minds changed about anything

The China Syndrome scores on every level

[Tet-5 · 10/10 · 2 January 2000]

I wish Hollywood would make more movies like The China Syndrome. Because this one scores on every level.

It has an intelligent, believable script. It shows you that it's not only nuclear power itself, but the money involved in it, that causes danger. And the movie also gives you a great behind-the-scenes look of how television is made.

It scores as a thriller: the first time I saw it, it kept me right on the edge of my seat. And it scores as a character-movie: I really cared for the main characters. Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, Wilford Brimley and, most of all, Jack Lemmon are great.

timely and informative

[linga_04 · 7/10 · 26 April 2006]

I watched this while the twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster was being observed.

This kind of disaster could take place easily in this nuclear age. We had the ordeal of Karen Silkwood and the incident at Three Mile Island plus of course the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine. It is gratifying to know that people, corporations and governments are taking this kind of possible disaster very seriously. For the past twenty years, nothing comparable has happened thanks partly to this film The movie is not particularly inspiring and just states plainly the problems involved and to alert people

The Pejoration Syndrome

[rmax304823 · 2/10 · 31 May 2002]

When a word or expression undergoes degradation in its meaning and associations over time, linguists call it "pejoration." It's simply that some words become so contaminated by the semantic baggage they carry that they, as words, become "bad" in themselves. "Gung Ho" is an example from the military. In 1942 it was used with pride to describe an enthusiastic unit. It doesn't mean that today. Perhaps the most familiar everyday example is "undertaker." The word was a standard reference for the occupation until it became contaminated by covert associations. Boy, did it become contaminated. It was replaced by "mortician," which then underwent its own pejoration, so that today we have "funeral directors." (It won't be long.) Our culture has struggled with "housewife" ("domestic engineer") and "garbage man" ("sanitation engineer") and "atomic" ("nuclear"), which is why the Atomic Energy Commission turned into the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. (I thought I heard someone crying, "Why this tedious introduction!")

Nuclear energy is one of those issues that attracts grandstanders, something on the order of smoking or child pornography. Nobody is FOR it. Everyone is AGAINST it. The utilities want profits and labor wants jobs. If PG&E could find a cheap, risk-free way of turning a grain of sand into enough energy to keep Julia Roberts' wraparound smile dazzlingly alight for a thousand years, they'd jump at the chance. You want to make a successful movie that cashes in on existing prejudices and makes a bundle? Make one about nuclear energy and the non-existent sinister forces organized around its promotion. It's a cheap shot and it can't fail. (It's like satirizing the Miss America Pageant.)

Nuclear power seems to be relatively safe if properly researched and handled. (Even Isaac Asimov agreed.) When it's not, then you get Chernobyl or, if you're lucky, you get the Three Mile Island accident, which I have seen described in the media as a "catastrophe." What catastrophe? Despite human stupidity and technological failure, Three Mile Island had redundancy built into its safety mechanisms and they worked. (If there are sinister forces at work, it might have been the producers of this disaster movie engineering the Three Mile Island accident at the time of the movie's release. One of the characters even makes a remark that an accident at the Ventana plant could "contaminate an area the size of Pennsylvania." Wow!) I said that nuclear power "seems to be relatively safe" deliberately. It will take a long time and careful monitoring to know just how safe they actually are. And by "relative," I mean simply that nuclear power has the potential to destroy great numbers of lives when an accident happens, whereas we already KNOW that the burning of fossil fuels in the form of oil, coal, and gasoline are already doing that, and has been doing it since the industrial revolution began. (The Parthenon sizzles like a giant Alka Seltzer in all that acid raid.) Yet many of us prefer to go on dying from sources whose names don't have a "nuclear" appendage. What is it that "makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others that we know not of?" I don't know. I'm just asking.

The movie is a piece of manipulative and propagandistic junk, and not very good junk at that. Michael Douglas is a good guy. You can tell because he's wearing a beard. The company and almost all its representatives are evil. They not only use shoddy workmanship but they try to cover the evidence of their deceit by murdering people. They try to cover up the close call at the plant, too. Then we have the easy-on-the-eyes Jane Fonda whose looks and manners are exploited by her employers, just like all women broadcasters do nothing but present stories on balloons that have gone astray or the weather or whatnot. (This movie was made before Connie Chung was paid a royal salary while she took time off from work in order to "try to become pregnant.") If you're going to have somebody insult and patronize Jane, Stan Bohrman is the man for the job. He's a real anchor in LA and comes on like a ton of bricks. When a serious story comes her way, though, Fonda grabs for it with gusto. Jack Lemmon comes around too. He recognizes the danger. Exactly what the danger is, isn't made too clear, aside from ominous references. A lot of tanks and pipes begin to clank and shiver and finally fall apart, with nothing important seeming to have resulted. What was that all about?

Unable to get a response from the utility company, and with Jane unable to get her employers to pay attention, Lemmon commandeers the plant's control room at gunpoint and demands a chance to tell the public. His wish is granted. But, presented with a microphone and camera, Lemmon turns to jelly. If he was previously bursting with the need to shout out the truth, he now becomes bafflingly circumlocutory. "Was there a cover up?" Jane urges him on live TV. "I -- it didn't -- I -- it wasn't natural -- there was just something UNNATURAL about the incident," he fumbles. This delay allows for a good deal of suspenseful cross-cutting between his gibbering nonsense and the SWAT team burning their way through the steel door. The SWAT team succeed while Lemmon doesn't. Even his friend, Wilford Brimley, who knows the truth, sounds evasive. "Jack never took a drink, so he couldn't have been drunk."

The movie is an insult to objectivity and to the native intelligence of the viewer, although it may tap into some of his or her deepest prejudices. Instead of "atomic" or "nuclear" power, how about "molecular" power? Or better yet, "clean" power? We can sprinkled it with arugula and claim it lowers your cholesterol.

"And Power's What It's All About"

[stryker-5 · 2 March 1999]

Made in the same year as the Three Mile Island incident, "The China Syndrome" posits a core meltdown in a Californian nuclear plant. What if contractors, driven by profit, omit to x-ray all the welded joints in a power station's water pumps? What if contaminated water leaches into the environment? What if faulty instruments indicate that reactor rods are being cooled, when in fact they are exposed, and generating uncontainable heat?

The film is also a dissertation on the power of the media to shape our awareness. In the opening sequence we see images of Kimberly Wells, the Channel 3 news presenter, but we hear the disembodied voices of directors controlling the newscast. Powerful, unseen people decide what we can see. There are also mishearings and broken links - TV is an imperfect medium and the wrong information can easily be conveyed. "Hey! Hey! Is anybody listening to me?" asks Kimberly. It is a metaphor for the whole film.

Kimberly and a freelance cameraman, Richard Adams, drive out to the Ventana power plant to shoot some routine feature footage. During their visit, an earth tremor causes a 'scram', an emergency alert in the plant's control room. Flouting regulations, Adams surreptitiously films the panic.

Kimberly and Richard (Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas) make a harmonious team. As they head along the freeway to the accompaniment of the opening music we see them sharing a soft drink, nodding in agreement and mirroring each other's hand gestures. Later, when events force them in divergent directions, the issues will seem clearer for us because we have seen the team co-operating closely.

For the first three-quarters of this film, I was rejoicing that for once a Hollywood project was dealing with a real issue rather than relying on guns and police cars. "The China Syndrome" shows that social and political conflict can be gripping on the big screen, even more gripping than the action genre. Imagine my disappointment, then, when in the final stretch the movie lost its nerve and turned to guns and police cars. For all that, the thing was worth doing. Michael Douglas, an actor-producer in the tradition of his father, had the courage to make a feature film about the seemingly unpromising subject of the hazards of nuclear energy. he is to be commended for that.

Jack Lemon is wonderful as Jack Godell, the middle-manager with a conscience. He is introduced into the story during the earth tremor, and he alone notices the secondary shudder which spells potential disaster. We see in his thoughtful, careworn face a gradual realisation that something is terribly wrong. It is this growing awareness, and Godell's honest desire to do something about it, which provide the engine of the plot. Godell is torn between his innate sense of fairness and a sincere loyalty to his industry. "I love that plant," he says, and he means it. During the tremor crisis, the camera's focus is thrown from Kimberly and Richard in the observation gallery to Godell on the control room floor. It is he, not the media, who will be the battleground on which this conflict will be fought.

The secondary strand of the plot concerns Kimberly's place in the TV news industry. Don Jacovich, the channel boss, wants to steer her away from hard news and restrict her to anodyne stories about animals and children. "You're better off doing the softer stuff," he tells her. She was hired for her looks, not for her analytical powers. When she raises the subject of the clandestine filming of the 'scram', she is told not to worry her pretty little head about it. "She is a performer," says Jacovich (Peter Donat), strongly implying that thinking forms no part of her duties.

When Kimberly tries to follow up the Ventana story, her very celebrity gets in the way. Autograph hunters in the local bar make it impossible for her to interview Godell properly. At the end, her dual role as a participant in, and reporter of, events culminates in an emotional broadcast during which she concedes, "I'm sorry - I'm not very objective."

When a news station acquires 'hot' footage, should it screen the material, regardless of consequences, on the basis of public interest? Richard provokes this debate by letting his camera roll inside the plant. Jacovich is worried about broadcasting an unconfirmed story because to do so is irresponsible use of media power, not to mention the lawsuits it would attract. Richard sees this as cowardice.

Weaknesses in the film centre on the credibility of the story. When Hector needs rescuing, Richard ousts the medics and takes personal control, even though he is only a cameraman. Kimberly and Richard nurse the stricken Godell while everyone else ignores him - even though he has just made international headlines.

However, the film contains plenty that is excellent. In a morality tale about the artifice of TV, we are shown how even the anchor man's adlibs are read from the autocue. Fittingly, TV literally moves into the plant's control room for the climax of the story. The phrase 'no accident' keeps recurring, with semantic syncopations. The SWAT team is careful to avoid the cameras, a nice touch which suggests that the police's work is somehow dirty. In a memorable shot McCormack, the flint-hearted chairman of the board, looks down on the seemingly tiny Kimberly and Godell, the representatives of the little guy. As the plant emergency grows complicated, the TV director cuts to a commercial for microwave ovens - frivolous radiation jarring ironically with the deadly stuff. Kimberly's slip of the tongue, "selfish sufficiency" for "self-sufficiency" is a clever comment on the attitude of the power company. The tense climax of the 'scram' is made more excruciating by being entirely wordless. In an awful moment, we get to learn what the 'China Syndrome' actually is. This is powerful cinema.

Underrated Thriller

[keachs · 9/10 · 8 February 2016]

Wow. Not sure why this thriller has so few rating in IMDb. (Actually not so unusual for any non-blockbusters from this era) Almost every aspect of the film is rock solid: setting script, acting, story-line, and the issue is still relevant 35 years later. The characters and scenes in the studio and nuclear power plant are totally believable. There no superfluous scenes at all, no added sex scenes, no smart alack comedy or in-your face scenes. Jack Lemmon in my opinion is also very underrated and gives a great performance as Jack Godell, and Jane Fonda and Michael Douglass are very good in their respective roles. I had not realized that Michael Douglass produced this film, along with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest four years earlier when he was barely 30 years old. Though some of the costuming and settings obviously reflect the era of the film, it does not feel dated at all. The China Syndrome holds it's own with the other more well-known films of it's day and probably surpasses in quality, the majority current releases put out by Hollywood.

Jack Lemmon's Best

[Ric-7 · 10/10 · 1 February 2009]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film when it was first released, and on each occasion I've seen it since. The political drama is effective, if not especially new or inspired. The decades since the release of the film have demonstrated that the willingness to cut costs at the expense of public safety is definitely not just something imagined by a screenwriter.

However, I think the most impressive element of this film is Jack Lemmon's performance. It is absolutely astonishing to watch him at work. He has the gift to be able to communicate so much, at times without saying a word. Next time you watch this film, check out Jack's face at the times he is not saying anything. He does not need to speak (or worse yet, to mug) to let you know what's going through his mind.

I am calling this a spoiler, because of the impression it made on me when I first saw the film: in Lemmon's last scene in the film, as he is lying on the floor, he feels a slight vibration. The terror in his eyes is one of the most frightening images I have seen in any film. It is perfect acting, because it conveys instantly the threat about to occur--if Jack's character is so terrified, there is certainly something awful about to happen. And it does.

(A great late 70s drama starring Fonda Douglas and Lemon).

[joeflemming · 6/10 · 21 July 2018]

The China syndrome starts with a bang- Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas are at a nuclear power plant when something goes wrong and they manage to capture it on camera. What follows is an investigation into the cover ups that ensues to make sure there is no panic. All the actors are very good here- Douglas and Fonda as the determined young reporters, Jack lemmon as the shift supervisor who unfortunately gets the blame. The pacing is great and the opening scene with the meltdown are genuinely terrifying.

Nuclear powerful

[Lejink · 8/10 · 9 January 2016]

70's Hollywood made so many great contemporary political thrillers like "The Parallax View", "Three Nights Of The Condor", "All The President's Men" to name but three, but this one at the end of the decade I'd somehow missed. Of course everyone will know about the coincidence of the Three Mile Island incident which occurred within days of the film's original release which gave it instant topicality and of course gave it a commercial boost, but subsequent nuclear-related disasters at Chernobyl and Fukishama mean that the movie's relevance doesn't diminish as time goes by.

All of that would be of no matter unless it wasn't a cracking good film which it certainly is. It's superbly cast for one thing not only with a dream-team of Lemmon, Fonda and Douglas in the main roles (all garnered deserved Oscar nominations for their work) but it's also well cast in the supporting roles too. The plot is convincingly believable at almost every stage with only the somewhat contrived melodramatic climax slightly at odds with what had gone before.

The film makes telling points about corporate greed over safety considerations still relevant in every walk of business today, but also confronts the limits of free speech and obviously, the debate on the use of nuclear power as an energy source in today's society, but at a more basic level it's just a top-class thriller which ratchets up the tension throughout.

The acting just couldn't be better, Fonda is convincing as the lightweight "feel-good spot" TV reporter who scents a real story for the first time, Douglas as the rule-bending maverick camera-man desperate to get the story out there and Lemmon in one of his last great roles as the company man whose loyalty is tested by his own conscience when he becomes aware of the cover-ups at the plant.

Sure the fashions and depicted technology to name but two elements are dated as only a film set in the 70's can be, but the message of the movie combined with its entertainment value easily transcends these to deliver a taut, exciting and thought-provoking film which was one of the best of, in my opinion, a great decade for Hollywood movie-making.

pretty good

[KyleFurr2 · 7/10 · 26 November 2005]

This is a pretty good thriller at a nuclear power plant in southern California that was directed by James Bridges and stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas. Fonda plays a TV reporter who wants to be an investigative journalist but is only allowed to be a TV reporter. Douglas is an independent cameraman and Lemmon is a supervisor at a nuclear plant. Fonda and Douglas are sent on a routine assignment at a nuclear power plant and an accident almost happens and they get it all on film. Everyone tries to cover it up except Fonda and Douglas, so Douglas steals the film. Lemmon starts to investigate and finds out the company cares more about profit then safety at the plant. It's a good movie with a pretty good ending.

Realistic thriller with a fine casting

[Petey-10 · 9/10 · 8 January 2009]

TV news reporter Kimberly Wells and her cameraman Richard Adams visit the Ventana nuclear power plant where they discover an accident.They have it all on camera.Jack Godell is the supervisor on duty in the control room during the incident.He knows something is seriously wrong at the plant when he feels the vibration.He wants to talk but they want to keep his mouth shut.The China Syndrome (1979) is a thriller directed by James Bridges.The title of the movie is jokingly mentioned in the film that if an American nuclear melts down it will melt through the Earth until it reaches China.The casting of this movie is brilliant.Jane Fonda does a fine job as the red headed Kimberly Wells.The young Michael Douglas, who's also producer of this film, is great as the hot tempered Richard.I especially liked Jack Lemmon who does amazing job as Jack Godell.His performance alone can raise my review up to 9 stars.He won the best actor award at the Cannes film festival.Also in this film you can find Richard Herd who plays Evan McCormack.This movie shows us something that can happen in real life.We all remember what happened in Chernobyl back in 1986.There are plenty of breathtaking scenes in the movie.One of them is where Jack is driving and he notices he's being followed...And there's a lot of power in the end.

As close to prophecy as one wishes to get!

[Movie Hound Video · 7/10 · 2 February 1999]

3-Mile Island and this movie are as tied-in to each other's history as the space shuttle disaster and SPACECAMP are. People talk about Jane Fonda's performance, but Jack Lemmon steals the show. This movie sent chills down everyones spines when it came out. A nuclear plant melt-down in the USA! If you have not seen this movie, get it not just for the story, but to see several stars perform their best work ever.

still relevant today

[nobbytatoes · 9/10 · 7 April 2006]

Reporter Kimberly Wells presents the minor side of the news; puff pieces that don't hold much news merit. While shooting footage on alternative energy at a nuclear power plant, an accident occurs. Friend and cameraman for Kimberly, Richard Adams illegally films the men controlling the incident in the control room. Jack Godell, head of the control room, prevents the reactor from disaster. After an investigation into the incident shows nothing is wrong, Jack can't help but feel something isn't right. On discovering that the weld seals on the generator pump are cracked, Jack with Kimberly and Richard seek to tell the public and shut down the unsafe plant.

Nearly made thirty years ago, The China Syndrome is a riveting drama that still holds so much relevance today. Nuclear power has always been a hotly debated subject, whether it is the safest source of alternative energy, radioactive waste, and are nuclear plants waiting to be the next Chernobyl. Just not about nuclear power, The China Syndrome explores freedom of speech, right of press and big business. On Jack's findings of falsified information, his knowledge halts a massive investment on the construction of another nuclear plant, which many men seek to profit from. Kimberly, desperately wanting out on the puff news, sees the fight for truth is more important than boosting her career; constantly pushed by Richard, never wanted to be silenced demanding the public be told of the accident.

Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas and Jack Lemmon are simply flawless. Fonda shows Kimberly as a fragile woman on her exterior, yet emotionally hard and determined to reveal this cover-up. Douglas brings a strong performance as Richard, fighting for honestly and truth. Lemmon shines over all as Jack., his performance is highly charged drama.

The China Syndrome is riveting viewing, that still holds much relevance today as it did when first released.

more relevant today than one would want or hope

[dekoops · 7/10 · 20 January 2006]

The thirty years that have passed since the making of this movie have made the suspense wither somewhat, and will not keep the public as attentive as I am sure it did in 1979. It is still entertaining enough though - and regains some of it's power when one finds out its sad relevance today (check out the story of FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear plant). With the top of the line actors and steady pace one can learn to overlook the dated '70s environment, and see it for the political critique that it is. I doubt however it will survive the test of time. It might not be entirely forgotten thanks to its cast, but otherwise the dialog, setting and score will make a remake of this movie unavoidable . As the oil situation now is comparable to the situation in the 70's, and alternative sources of energy are again becoming a hotter topic, we can only hope the current generation gets blockbuster warnings about the risks of (privatized) nuclear power like this.

Insanity

[harrisdenise-08292 · 1/10 · 14 August 2021]

Obviously, no one creating this movie ever did any research about a nuclear power plant. Working in one for a few years. First, no one but no can come and go in a plant. Security alone is the so tight. The backup systems are more than 2. It was at 6 when I left over 20 years ago. I found Jack Lemons character not stable and not a strong individual to have to make important decisions in the most important position in a plant. Actually, this movie frustrated me.