SummaryThis thriller about the dangers of nuclear power arrived in theaters a mere thirteen days before the disaster at Three Mile Island. In it, a reporter finds what appears to be a cover-up of safety hazards at a California nuclear power plant.
Directed By:James Bridges
Written By:Mike Gray, T.S. Cook, James Bridges, Roger Margolis
The China Syndrome
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
94% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
6% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
A terrific film, the triumphant culmination of many elements that have been attempted in previous ambitious films. This has a wealth of true movie ingredients: two or three meaty subjects handled with naturalistic ambiguity, suspense, a variety of interestingly developing characters finely acted, excitement and authenticity laced with restrained satire. [16 March 1979, p.19]
91
Ultimately, Lemmon's performance is what makes The China Syndrome work: The script contains its share of technical jargon and clunky exposition, but his subtle transformation from complacency to anger to panic tells the story in raw emotional terms. The China Syndrome is ultimately a story about how the potential for human error can trump science and reason, and few actors have ever been as unmistakably human as Lemmon.
User score
Generally Favorable
86% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
10% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
3% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jan 5, 2020
9
This film has aged well. It's astonishingly well-researched and techno-evocative, especially for its times (the late 70s). Here we have a fully-developed thesis about the corrupt nuclear-industrial-corporate system and its dangers, long before any such thesis was mainstream. In retrospect, one can conclude that this film likely darkened the public perception of nuclear power across America to some degree, all by itself, which is a much more important and historic change than most people realized at the time. Now, the nuclear industry is on its last legs, and this film stands near the effective beginning of the movement and the social stigma that has gradually taken down that industry over the course of two generations. Bravo to a historically-important film well-written, well-researched, well-acted, and well-directed, that serendipitously was in theaters during 3-Mile Island. Makes you wonder if this project was really developed and injected into the system by time travellers tweaking history at just right moment.
Feb 14, 2019
8
Three powerhouse performances punctuate this rousing effort from director James Bridges. And though its subject matter might not necessarily age in the sense that it features many "pressing" questions about the current pace of our country's energy consumption, that doesn't necessarily mean that the issues discussed in "The China Syndrome" aren't reverberating in different respects throughout society today. In fact, problems such as negligence, indiscretion, and general corporate oversight still plague many different forms of the energy industry today (i.e. "Erin Brockovich," "Deepwater Horizon" etc.) It's a truly worthy and riveting effort, featuring one of the best Jack Lemmon performances I've seen. Definitely a must-watch.
80
Very convincing, deeply disturbing tale. [31 Dec 2005, p.49]
80
All a bit too earnest, despite the seriousness of the subject, with Fonda setting her jaw and stepping into father's footsteps as Tinseltown's very own protector of humanity; but it's tightly scripted and directed, and genuinely tense in places.
75
It's an archetypal '70s political movie: hard-core melodrama wedded to an important social issue, with slick direction (James Bridges) and big stars (Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas) playing valiant underdogs and reporters. [29 Oct 2004, p.C3]
70
A moderately compelling thriller about the potential perils of nuclear energy, whose major fault is an overweening sense of its own self-importance.
40
It becomes apparent during the stuttering course of the movie itself that exploiting a nuclear power plant as an effective deathtrap in a doomsday thriller requires more than melodramatic wishful thinking. [16 March 1979, p.B1]
Nov 18, 2024
7
Solid, suspenseful, well performed drama of a nuke plant near accident coverup aftermath. As Jane Fonda, is so comfy in her silly job, doing fluff pieces for TV news, and doesn’t want to rock the boat, But slowly grows a spine and vows to get the horrific truth out to her audience, And Jack Lemmon, old timer at nuke plant, also grows a spine ,and takes drastic measures to get the truth out no matter how much it costs. Tragic, bittersweet, sobering results ensue, Themes of corporate corruption, the press, all concerned more about money, than public safety are all laid bare.
Oct 3, 2024
7
Released less than two weeks before the disaster at Three Mile Island, The China Syndrome’s depiction of near-meltdown at a Los Angeles nuclear power plant probably seemed impossibly prescient at the time. In truth, most of its plot points were drawn from other, similar near-misses and cover-ups at plants elsewhere in the nation, knowledge which lends extra credence to its firm anti-nuclear agenda. And while it could’ve been forgiven for taking the easy route, this is more than just a scare picture or disaster movie. Behind the alarmist terror of radiation in the American backyard lies an adept piece of roiling suspense and a pertinent philosophical debate. The crux of the conflict falls between a TV news team, a sympathetic atomic engineer and the bigwigs who control both sides of the narrative. With hearings already underway concerning the construction of a second plant, there’s a lot of money involved and none of the suits - neither the plant officials nor the network executives - want to rock the boat. This leads to great mutual consternation, as the reporters seek to blow whistles, the engineer struggles to get to the bottom of the anomalies and their bosses intend to just sweep the whole mess under the rug and move on. We all serve masters of one shape or another. The real question is: do you have the courage to do what’s ethical, at the expense of a comfortable lifestyle and steady paycheck? Not everyone can answer this in the affirmative. A bit pokey and redundant, especially during the tiresome setup scenes, The China Syndrome hits an excellent rhythm in the second act that climaxes with an intense control room showdown on live TV. Jack Lemmon shows great range as the troubled engineer whose personal sky is falling, while Jane Fonda and a young Michael Douglas lather it on rather thick as key members of the pesky, vocal, self-righteous news crew. It’s preachy at times, hyperbolic at others, but the deeper messages hit their target and the closing scenes are spirited and well-realized.
May 5, 2023
7
The China Syndrome is a drama that you watch like a thriller. During the filming of the TV report at the nuclear power plant, a serious accident occurs. Journalists manage to shoot everything that happened at this time. They are trying with all their might to broadcast this material, but influential people stand in the way, interested in presenting the accident as just minor problems. The classic plot and excellent acting blow of the still young Michael Douglas and the beautiful Jack Lemmon. I advise everyone to watch, even more than 40 years after the release, it still looks great. And all this was filmed 6 years before the events in Chernobyl
Oct 29, 2018
7
Eh ben dis donc, Michael Douglas en tout jeune débutant, barbu et quasi-hippie et Jane, la merveilleuse Jane certes moins jeune mais toujours aussi gracieuse. Même avec ses semelles compensées... et sa Golf mazoutée ?!... ils en ont vendu de ces merdes à gazoute qui pue, là-bas ? Bon, au moins, Jack Lemmon roule dans une jolie 2002, l'honneur est sauf ! mais tout de même, question nuisances, ça fait désordre. Et donc c'est le "syndrome chinois" parce que quand ça pète, les radiations vont jusqu'en Chine... mais rassurez-vous, tout est sous contrôle. Ou presque. Etonnant film de "lanceur d'alerte" donc... quelques années avant Tchernobyl. Oui, ça fait réfléchir, un petit peu quand même. Et les déchets avec leur "demi-vie" de 250 000 ans... aussi. Un film donc plutôt bien fait qui dénonce intelligemment les risques mais qui se perd également dans quelque méandre caricatural de la grosse société exploitante qui a tout l'air d'une organisation mafieuse (!). On a tendance à exagérer ici pour attirer l'attention, ce qui fait perdre en crédibilité... Quoi qu'il en soit, on ne s'ennuie pas un instant et les comédiens sont très bien, y compris ce vieux Jack vraiment très bon lorsqu'il ne s'égare pas dans des comédies hystéro-bouffonnes. Un film tout-à-fait intéressant malgré ses excès.
Production Company:
- Columbia Pictures
- IPC Films
- Major Studio Partners
Release Date:Mar 16, 1979
Duration:2 h 2 m
Rating:PG
Tagline:[From an early TV trailer for the film] The China Syndrome. It's not about China. It's about choices. Between honesty and ambition. Career and conscience. Responsibility and profit. The China Syndrome. Today, only a handful of people know what it means. On March 16, so will you.
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 5 Nominations
Academy Awards, USA
• 4 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 2 Wins & 4 Nominations
