MPAA Rating: PG/Genre: Disaster Thriller/Stars: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Wilford Brimley, James Karen, Richard Herd, Daniel Valdez, Stan Bohrman/Runtime: 122 minutes
I think it is no secret that a movie, if it revolves around a certain topic or is made by people who have a passion for certain areas of interest, can do more than just entertain the masses who make the choice to check it out (tub of popcorn or no tub of popcorn in one’s possession notwithstanding). Rather, it also can operate as a cinematic catalyst for our individual perceptions to be molded, our thought-processes to be ignited, and can even see changes in the real world be brought about. Perhaps this is why 1986’s Top Gun caused the U.S. Navy to see a surge in their recruitment numbers at the time, Bambi inspired conversations about taking better care of nature, 1959’s On the Beach inspired talks about the potential global threat caused by the existence of nuclear weapons, and even Jaws (for as terrifying as the titular creature was….when it chose to work anyway) resulted in a public surge in the amount of shark conservation efforts across the planet. Among the movies in this distinct category however, there is perhaps one that is a bit more noteworthy (or infamous dependent on your perspective) than the vast majority of the others. That being a slice of cinema from 1979, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today incidentally, known as The China Syndrome. Indeed here is a film that threw quite a bit of shade at the nuclear power industry and whether it really was as safe as the so-called “experts” kept telling us at that time. Yet despite a lot of movie goers probably thinking this film was blowing more than a cloud of nuclear-tinged smoke our way, it tragically wasn’t long before life decided to show audiences that what happens in reel life can also occur in real life as well. This is because a solid 12 days after this movie was brought to theaters, a teeny tiny event of some significance and degree of catastrophe occurred known as the Three Mile Island accident. A disaster that, impact it had on both that area and the United States overall and among other noteworthy attributes, was also eventually determined to be caused by mistakes at the planet that were (surprise surprise) eerily on-point to ones that were showcased in the film. As a result, not only did this film suddenly get a lot more attention, but the concerns that people had with respect to how safe it really was to try and utilize nuclear energy swiftly were given a lot more justification than they might have previously. Yet even with this film’s reputation as a sort of cinematic Nostradamus and the fact that close to 5 decades have come and gone since in mind, I still think it should be said that this film is an incredibly riveting and intelligent piece of filmmaking. To be sure, it might have a few issues here and there, but by and large with the aid of potent work on both sides of the camera, The China Syndrome is still an incredibly tense thriller that will have you both on the edge of your seat and leave you with something to think about in equal measure.
The plot is as follows: Taking us to the iconic locale of Los Angeles in the bright and sunny state of California, The China Syndrome gets underway by introducing us to a woman by the name of Kimberly Wells. A woman who, among various things worth knowing about her, is someone who is a distinct member of the group known as television news reporters. Unlike most of her peers in the industry however, we see that Kimberly is not entirely content with where she’s at in her professional life. This is because even though she wants to transition over into taking on more “serious” and “hard hitting” stories, her superiors would rather she stay in her current spot as the person they turn to whenever a human-interest story needs to be covered. Not because she ticked off the wrong person or because she crashed the news van on her first assignment, but rather for reasons that I think are fairly self-explanatory and therefore not really anything that I feel I need to go into any sort of detail on here. Yet it isn’t long before we soon witness as Kimberly’s wish is granted in the most unlikely (yet also arguably most terrifying) manner possible. This is because, whilst shooting a fluff piece on the Ventana nuclear power plant with her former colleagues/old friends cameraman Richard Adams and sound man Hector Salas, the trio are inadvertent witnesses to the plant go through a turbine trip followed by a SCRAM (or emergency shutdown for those of you who didn’t go through Nuclear Reactor 101 in school) as spearheaded by shift supervisor Jack Godell and his co-worker/friend Ted Spindler. Yet if that wasn’t bad enough, we watch in horror (along with our cast of characters) as the SCRAM almost turns into a full-blown catastrophe that only by some kind of miracle is averted. Yet despite Richard having secretly gotten the whole thing on tape against the wishes of the plant’s security policy, we see that the studio doesn’t give it the time of day in any way whatsoever. Rather, they (perhaps out of the fear of a costly in more ways than one legal battle) make the choice to instead at the least squash the story and at most bury it as deep as they possibly can. Of course, despite her own desire to keep her job, we see that Kimberly soon makes the choice (for reasons I shan’t spoil here) to work alongside Richard and figure out not only what did occur, but also how to ensure that the truth is made known to the public. Meanwhile we see that Godell, not satisfied with how the higher-ups at the plant are handling the whole incident to say nothing of his own belief that something is indeed seriously wrong at Nuclear Shangri-La, decides to do some digging on his own. Thus can these three people locate vital evidence of what they know occurred and get it before the public in some way or is this one situation that is unavoidably headed for the worst kind of disaster imaginable? That I will let you see for yourself….
Now right off, it should be said that the work done behind the camera on this film is nothing short of genuinely marvelous. This starts with the phenomenal work at the helm by James Bridges. Indeed Bridges was a vastly underrated talent with 1973’s The Paper Chase and 1980’s Urban Cowboy among the entries on his creative resume, but this film is definitely one of the brighter jewels in his collection. Perhaps the key thing that Bridges brings to the film is the fact that this film is highlighted by a feeling of realism and urgency to the overall film whilst also making the narrative choice to focus on the deliberate withholding of the facts rather than reflecting on the sleazy actions on the part of the people at the plant who clearly have no regard for the lives who a meltdown would impact. As a result, Bridges does a wonderful job of making it very murky as to if we should applaud those who bravely brought the story to light or if we should be devoting that time to seeing just how close to disaster we came and doing something about it so this never happens again. Along with that, we see that Bridges is also blessed with a terrific comprehension of just how anxiety-inducing the overall atmosphere in this film could be to an audience choosing to sit down and watch it. As a result, we see that he is able to conduct both the visuals as well as the sound design team so well that, be it anything from the shrill chirping of alarms in the background all the way to the swift of tempo editing, you as a movie goer are left with a degree of fear throughout this film that is genuinely tangible. Perhaps the most distinguishing element with respect to the work done behind the camera however is the fact that this film has managed to eliminate any kind of soundtrack to the proceedings whatsoever. To be sure, this film is by no means the only one to have done this (2007’s No Country for Old Men is definitely another example that comes to mind). Unlike some of the others however, we see that by making the creative choice to omit the soundtrack completely, this film’s creative team is able to ensure that this feels less like a feature length film and more like a documentary about events that actually took place. Lastly, I also feel that the script by Mike Gray, T. S. Cook, and film helmer Bridges is most assuredly worthy of praise as well. Not only for giving audiences a story that, even without some of the typical accompaniments that you might see in a film like this, is genuinely gripping from beginning to end, but also in how it takes such complicated topics as the various dynamics within a newsroom to say nothing of how in the world a nuclear reactor actually works and makes them understandable for the audience. As a result, not only do you walk away educated and entertained, but you also really feel for the main characters whenever you see them facing such things as discrimination or negligence in their respective places of employment. Suffice it to say that in terms of the work done behind the camera is definitely top-tier in every sense of the word.
Of course, the other significant element that aids in this film ultimately working on the level that it is able to would undoubtedly have to be the work done by the phenomenal collection of performances in front of the camera. This starts with Jane Fonda and, however you may feel about her as a person, there is no denying that the woman is an incredibly skilled talent with the right material (and not something like Monster-In-Law). Indeed, in the role of Kimberly Wells, Fonda gives us a woman who starts out really striving to bring more to her place of employment than she already does only to be constantly turned down by her superiors not for lack of ability mind you, but sadly because they view her less as a journalist and more as “a pretty face” that gives the network an edge over its competitors. Yet even when we see that this truly remarkable story all but falls in her lap, we see that Fonda gives Kimberly a degree of hesitation at first over pursuing it due to a fear of losing her job before slowly but surely giving her the degree of confidence she needs to give this story the chance to be heard that it rightfully deserves regardless of how her superiors at the station might feel about that. Suffice it to say that it’s an incredibly intricate tightrope between courageous and reserved that Fonda walks in this, but she does so in a way that is plain phenomenal. We are also treated to a terrific co-starring turn here from the always enjoyable Michael Douglas (who also produced the film) in the role of Kimberly’s friend/ independent cameraman maestro Richard Adams. Yes this character is one you could argue is your stereotypical “rebel who has it out for the system and who feels like everything in some way is a conspiracy against the ordinary individual”-type guy, but in Douglas’ hands Adams is not only given a fair bit more in terms of characterization than that, but he also provides the film with a few moments of caustically snarky humor that definitely warrant at the very least a chuckle. Far and away though, if there is one performance that stands out above all the rest it would have to be the one given by screen legend Jack Lemmon in the pivotal role of plant shift supervisor Jack Godell. Indeed Lemmon does a wonderful job of giving us someone who is torn between his love and dedication to the plant, the doubts he has yet must keep to himself, and even an ever-rising level of frustration as well as anguish as he discovers both just how serious things are to say nothing of the fact that no one at work will listen to him. Indeed Lemmon may have been a brilliant comedic talent, but he was also a phenomenal dramatic performer as well and his role in this most assuredly offers proof of that in every way possible. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in solid support efforts from such screen talents as Daniel Valdez, Scott Brady, James Hampton (Michael J. Fox’s dad in the underrated 1985 Teen Wolf), a more than slightly sleazy turn from Peter Donat as one of the bosses at the news station, character actor icon James Karen, and a wonderful first credited feature film turn from Wilford “Liberty Medical” Brimley as Godell’s close friend/co-worker Ted Spindler whose final scene is truly quite potent it’s clear that there might be some issues with this film overall, but the work done by this powerhouse cast certainly is not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day is The China Syndrome a perfect film? Sadly as much as I would love to say yes, that is something I cannot do. With that in mind is this the worst cinematic effort for Jane Fonda since 2022’s Luck, for Michael Douglas since 2014’s And So It Goes, or that one time back in 1996 when Jack Lemmon decided to try his hand at Shakespeare with a pivotal co-starring role in Kenneth Branagh’s take on Hamlet? Thankfully, I can also say that is not the case though I do happen to have a fondness for the last example I gave….even IF it’s over 4 hours long (including credits). Sarcastic observations about other slices of cinema aside, I must admit that I am still just as riveted by this film as I was the first time I saw it when I was about 10-12 years old. To be sure, the technology being utilized is no longer top of the line, the world of broadcast news has evolved, and the energy career path has become even more complicated than it already was if you can believe that. At the same time however, and perhaps the key reason why the film still is able to work, to say nothing of resonate, on the level that it is ultimately able to is the fact that there are just as many pieces to it that have not changed one iota. Indeed the same WWE-style cage match between the safety of the public, the desire for a company to make money, and what part (if any) the rule of law can play in the proceedings that occurs in this film’s plot is still just as active (and still just as willing to let each side deck each other with allegorical chairs in the process) as it ever has been. Along with that, we also see that the combat that goes down between journalism meant to entertain the masses and journalism that is meant to educate the public about things that are perhaps a bit on the sensitive side is just as much in play as well especially on the 24-hour news channels like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. Above all however, perhaps the key thing that has not changed is that there are still a lot of people out there who want to do the right thing only to find that doing so is never as simple as we would like it to be. Suffice it to say then that, with the aid of solid work on both sides of the camera, The China Syndrome is a solid yet chillingly thought-provoking look at what could happen if journalism and the energy industry forgot their main responsibility is not to themselves, but rather to the public and the fallout that could ensue as a result of that decision. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give The China Syndrome “79” a solid 4 out of 5.
