The China Syndrome

Name: The China Syndrome
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: March 16, 1979
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 81
Cast: Daniel Valdez, Jack Lemmon, James Hampton, Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas

1979

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: March 16, 1979 | PG

Starring: Daniel Valdez, Jack Lemmon, James Hampton, Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, Scott Brady, Stan Bohrman, Wilford Brimley

Summary: This 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.

Director: James Bridges

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: PG

Runtime: 122 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Roger Ebert

The movie is, above all, entertainment: well-acted, well-crafted, scary as hell. Read full review

100

Judith Martin

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]

Staff (Not Credited)

Made in 1979, The China Syndrome proved to be one of the most prophetic films ever made, having been released shortly before the Three Mile Island catastrophe. At once a fervent anti-nuclear protest and an edge-of-the-seat thriller. [27 Nov 1988]

David Ansen

The film is a class-act thriller, a fiendishly efficient example of emotional manipulation. But that's not all. With Jane Fonda heading the cast, it couldn't help but be a thriller with a very large social conscience, activated, of course, to warn against the dangers of nuclear power. As such, the movie is both ferociously effective and decidedly facile. Director James Bridge's suspense film is the most potent blend of tract and trash since the underrated "Three Days of the Condor." [19 March 1979, p.103]

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

The sometimes self-conscious and too-earnest Fonda and the occasionally hammy Lemmon both rise beautifully to the occasion, delivering performances that are among their best. Read full review

Louis R. Carlozo

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]

Gary Arnold

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]

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User Reviews

Popcorn55

Jan 5, 2020

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. InThis 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Compi24

Feb 14, 2019

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 meanThree 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.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Broyax

Oct 29, 2018

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, auEh 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

eva3si0n

May 5, 2023

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, butThe 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… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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