The China Syndrome (1979)

IMDb plot summary: A reporter finds what appears to be a cover-up of safety hazards at a nuclear power plant.

Directed by James Bridges. Starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, and Michael Douglas.

The China Syndrome is a suspense thriller from the 1970s in which Jane Fonda plays a TV anchorwoman who is touring a nuclear plant when she and her cameraman managed to catch on film a near-miss accident. The plant assures everybody that nobody was ever in actual danger, but Fonda and her cameraman (Michael Douglas) are not convinced of this, and they tried to approach the manager on the floor (Jack Lemmon), who is also beginning to think there might be a cover-up. This is definitely steeped deeply in the fear of nuclear power, which was definitely more present the 1970s than it is now, and as such it feels a little paranoid, but it definitely addresses that the issue is hasty or sloppy fixes more than the inherent instability of the system itself. Lemmon is unsurprisingly the star here, with the final third of the film working especially well and keeping the energy tense through to the very end. While Fonda doesn't get a whole lot to play with, and her dynamic was Douglas absolutely doesn't work on almost any level, she does hold her own regardless and does a good job standing in for the average person finding himself in the middle of this. It's a beautifully taut story, and definitely worth a watch, especially if this is a genre that you find yourself drawn to. 

How it entered my Flickchart:

The China Syndrome > Love Exposure

The China Syndrome > Anna Karenina

The China Syndrome < Two Days, One Night

The China Syndrome > Onward

The China Syndrome < The Jungle Book (1967)

The China Syndrome > Civil War

The China Syndrome < The Bay

The China Syndrome < Beautiful Boy

The China Syndrome < Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The China Syndrome > Tickled

The China Syndrome > Good Will Hunting

The China Syndrome < Shakespeare in Love

Final spot: #676 out of 3971, or 83%.