James Bridges' "The China Syndrome" is a movie that is unlike any other film that I've ever seen in the thriller genre until now and is arguably one of the best thrillers of all time in my opinion. The movie wasn't adapted from anything, and along with that it's arguably one of the most completely original thrillers of the 1970s. The movie stars Jane Fonda as a young news anchor named Kimberly Wells who works for a local Los Angeles news network who with the help of her cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas) expose the problems of a nuclear power plant which are so dire that if nothing gets done to solve it, it could mean the end of our world. Wells and her cameraman then meet the shift supervisor of the plant who is a middle aged man named Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon) who is determined to expose the extremely dangerous problems in his plant that he loved so much. Bridges' direction is sure-handed and perfect for a movie like this, as well as his screenplay that he co-wrote with Mike Gray and TS Cook builds so much suspense with the expertly written dialogue that was so good that they got an Oscar nomination in the best original screenplay category as a result. The performances are rock solid especially from Lemmon who hasn't disappointed me every time I saw one of his movies and he ended up getting a best actor Oscar nomination for one his finest performances. I also found the performances by both Jane Fonda (who also got an Oscar nomination for best actress) and Michael Douglas (who also produced the film) to be so good that I'm convinced that nobody could have played their characters better than they did. The movie is also relevant then as it is now because the movie questions whether nuclear weapons can be a benefit or a danger to our world, and because we live in dangerous times like these of which we are living in now that ii is perfectly obvious that nuclear weapons are one of humanity's worst inventions. This is one of 1979's finest films.

Because of this film, the crisis in Pennsylvania really came home. We have now had major incidents in Chernobyl and in Japan. Now we have a President elect that is about to play around with nuclear weapons and is in bed with the Russians. I know that is really political, but we have had elements of restraint and caution and have managed to survive for decades. I know nuclear weapons aren't power plants, but the result of mishandling either would silently kill tens of thousands of people. In this film we are presented with a very possible scenario. Because of negligence or general lack of concern, a potential meltdown is a possibility. This is about human error and we have no shortage of humans who are perfectly happy to allow others to face the consequences of their actions, especially when money is involved. Jack Lemmon is excellent. There is amazing tension all the way through. God help us if such a scenario ever plays out.

There is an accident at a nuclear Power Plant, while a TV news team is filming a routine spot. The cameraman (Michael Douglas) secretly films the panicked actions of Plant Manager (Jack Lemmon) in the control room. Reporter (Jane Fonda) tries to get the story on the air. She is refused. So Fonda and Douglas dig into the accident, the more they dig, the less they believe it.Meanwhile, Lemmon has been conducting his own investigation. The performances are crucial to the movie's success, and they're all the more interesting because the characters aren't just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oscar winner Fonda is superb as the TV reporter. Douglas is spot on as the bearded, cameraman. And at the very core of the movie is Jack Lemmon, reluctant to rock the boat, compelled to follow his conscience. He totally deserved his Oscar as he was awesomeOther than over the opening credits, I don't think I heard any music score in the picture.. The lack of a score added to the tension I thoughtStill relevant today and well worth checkin out

"The China Syndrome" makes for a potboiler of a story, and the fact that a similar incident happened just after the film's release gives it a frightening authenticity. Granted, there probably weren't any hit men in the real-life Pennsylvania tragedy, but this is nonetheless heady stuff. The movie unfolds at a leisurely pace, but the mounting tension always keeps things moving. And it's grounded by some good performances (chiefly Jack Lemmon, although Jane Fonda has a handle on the human- interest-turned-investigative reporter). Michael Douglas is also no slouch, what with his full-on Kenny Loggins vibe.It really stung when a key character was killed, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film. "The China Syndrome" is a remarkably tense movie and takes us back to a time when the news media weren't useless. Great movie. And those silent credits are unbelievably haunting!8/10