The China Syndrome turned out to be quite a bit different than what I expected it to be. The Netflix synopsis would have you believe that the 'event' that takes place in a nuclear power plant is devastating and the news crew mentioned is trapped trying to find a way to escape before they are turned into melty, burny, flesh pools. At least that's how I interpreted it, possibly I didn't read it well enough.

The REAL story behind the China Syndrome is that a small remote news crew is doing a short piece on a nuclear power plant for a special report on energy. While observing the control room, an event occurs which not only is captured by the cameraman (Michael Douglas), but also has the plant operators scared for their lives for a harrowing two minutes. That two minutes of footage uncovers a world of political bullshittery being committed in order to keep that one failing plant online, and also license yet another plant so the corporate suits can keep their wallets ever growing. Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, and the plant's lead operator, played by Jack Lemmon, take it upon themselves to expose the men who are covering up the event in an attempt to get the plant turned offline with grave consequences.

Two words: Jack fucking Lemmon. Saying the man carries this movie isn't really fair to Michael Douglas or Jane Fonda who also deliver great performances, but Jack Lemmon had to have been ACTUALLY scared for his life during the filming because no actor could deliver a performance that real. Not to mention the true desperation that he oozed during the movie's amazingly intense final moments.

That same intensity is apparent throughout the entirety of The China Syndrome and is rarely rivaled in cinema today with the exception of the great Kathryn Bigelow film The Hurt Locker. Sure there are scenes you walk away from and say, "Wow, that scene was crazy" but The China Syndrome only briefly let's up which is a true testament to how well the film is pieced together because the movie borders on two hours in length but only about 40 minutes of it takes place in the plant. The rest of it is propelled by the intesity of the actors and the graveness of the impending situation.

The progression of the story is great, coupled with it's never too in-your-face views on the use of nuclear power in California. The two key scenes bookend the film and both take place at the plant and in between we're taken through a twisting web of lies, falsified documents, and hit men. Describing the middle of the film in too much depth would maybe make it sound boring, but I assure you it's not. The pace of The China Sydrome only slows slightly to prevent you from having a heart attack, which surely you would have if the intensity of the first and last scene were matched by each scene sandwiched between them.

I couldn't recommend this movie enough, especially for people like me who are looking for classics to widen their knowledge of film history. This one is easy to get through, provocative and relentlessly entertaining. Great cast, killer story, scary situation.

5 stars