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Silkwood (1983)

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39 out of 44 people found the following comment useful :-
Fear on many levels, 28 March 2004

Author: rwd4evr from Georgia USA

Anytime someone asks me what I'd consider the scariest movie ever, I say "Silkwood," and they say "But that's not a horror movie."

No?

There is so much to fear here, and scariest of all, probably, is the fact that the title character lived just a few decades ago, in modern-day America.

There is the fear that comes from living in poverty, or right on the edge of it. Silkwood, her cohorts, and most of her coworkers have little education; they live humble lives of church revivals, rebuilt cars, and "mystery meat" sandwiches brought for lunch in brown paper bags. The nuclear plant where they work is the only game in town (or the entire state), in terms of wages and benefits. And so, every day, they live in fear of losing their jobs. They have spent their lives being instructed to trust authority and submit to it. They are intimidated by the managers and supervisors who frown on camaraderie, and positively scowl on their labor union.

There is the fear of the unknown at the plant -- trucks being dismantled and buried behind barbed wire, under guard and under cover of darkness. Management gives the workers the minimum amount of information they need to perform their jobs, and often withhold or disguise facts that are essential to their very survival.

Karen, a somewhat rebellious, less-than-conscientious worker, is shocked into activism when her co-worker Thelma, becomes exposed to radioactive contamination, or "cooked." For me, this sequence is one of the most disturbing. Thelma is probably only in her 40s, but she looks like she's ready for retirement, due to the hard life she has lived. Her daughter is dying of cancer, and she herself wears wigs most days, because her hair is falling out. It's hard to watch the weeping, pleading Thelma being forcibly scrubbed head to toe with a stiff brush, water being shot into her eyes and nose, in a dubious attempt to "decontaminate" her. She is then patronized by a doctor who straight-facedly assures her that she has only superficial exposure and will be just fine.

There is fear when Karen sticks her neck out -- talking to union reps, traveling to Washington, and being sent back to work with a dangerous assignment: to gather evidence. At one point in the film, absolutely no one is supporting her. Her roommate feels resentful and rejected; her boyfriend has moved out, jealous of her involvement with the sophisticated people from Washington, and her co-workers treat her like a pariah, afraid that being seen talking to her will brand them as troublemakers, endangering their jobs, or even their lives.

Their worries seem more and more valid as the movie progresses. She walks into a roomful of supervisors, and they all fall silent. Suddenly, every time she walks past a radiation monitor, the alarms sound and she, like Thelma, is dragged to the dreaded decon room, where her skin is scrubbed raw -- torture chillingly disguised as medical necessity. Even her home is no longer safe. Plutonium is found in a urine sample that she brings from home, and every item in her house--right down to the wallpaper--is emptied and taken away from her. Her stone-faced, smooth-talking boss is right there, encouraging her to sign a statement that will undoubtedly absolve the company of any responsibility.

The headlights Karen sees in her rear-view mirror are not the last thing we see that frightens us. It's her wrecked car being slowly towed past the restaurant where a union meeting is still in progress.

The movie hits so many of our fear buttons: Helplessness, loneliness, rejection, vulnerability, and finally, the bottom-line thing we all fear the most. The most encouraging note is the awareness that anyone who sees this movie will come away with. It's a blueprint for empowerment.

e.w.

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17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
America the beautiful, 31 July 2004

Author: paul2001sw-1 (paul2001sw@yahoo.co.uk) from Saffron Walden, UK

The lives of working class Americans are shamefully under-represented by Hollywood, and when a poor person is depicted (as something other than a criminal), it's almost always with the subtext of hope and the American dream. But hope isn't what drives someone, like the real-life Karen Silkwood, to risk her life working with plutonium for the only employer in a company town. Silkwood didn't find hope, but she did get scared, and angry, and put her job (and those of her colleagues) at stake to uncover dangerous practices before dying a mysterious death. 'Silkwood' the movie doesn't give us the glib conclusions of a conspiracy thriller (it refrains from giving an opinion on her cause of death), but it does give an excellent portrait of life at the bottom, and the mounting sense of claustrophobia and paranoia that accompanied Karen's perilous voyage of discovery. Meryl Streep does an excellent job in the title role, portraying a woman gradually losing her sanity, and the whole cast is good, even Cher in an unglamorous role. In conclusion, this is a serious and important film; and a reminder for the fortunate how hard, and ugly, life can be, even in the "land of the free".

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17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Whistle-Blowing Could Be Hazardous to Your Health., 3 July 2002
Author: tfrizzell from United States

Intense 1980s flick that is based on the true story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep in an Oscar-nominated role), a woman at a plutonium plant who began to talk about what really went on at the facility where she was employed. It seems that nuclear tampering would lead to the poisoning of the plant's employees and the pollution of the environment. Silkwood was about to talk to the New York Times about the Oklahoma plant when she died under mysterious circumstances in a car accident. The audience knows what is going to happen, but it is getting there that is the fascinating part. Mike Nichols' Oscar-nominated direction is arguably the best of his career, with the exception of his work on "The Graduate". Cher (also Oscar-nominated) proved that she was a legitimate actress as Streep's lesbian co-worker. Kurt Russell also gives his finest performance as Streep's on-again-off-again boyfriend. However with all that said, it is Meryl Streep who gives one of her finest performances in this memorable, remarkable and important motion picture. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
It is worth the time!, 5 April 2002

Author: Sylvia Marciniak (sylviastel@aol.com) from United States

After watching Silkwood, I became fascinated and mesmerized by the true story behind it. I read the book, bought A&E biography video, and the History Channel's video: Contaminated, the Karen Silkwood Story. Despite reading other comments, I totally disagree about Karen Silkwood who probably saved more lives and lost her own to protect her colleagues and neighbors in Crescent, Oklahoma. If she had not spoke up in the seventies, Kerr-McGhee would still have a nuclear reactor plant in Crescent, Oklahoma. What most people do not know is that Karen's mysterious death haunted a huge ENronlike company. The plant closed in the following year. The shocking discoveries such as missing plutonium and horrible working conditions for its employees.

Two showers for the entire company! Karen Silkwood's life was tragically cut short but she did more in 28 years than most people can do in their entire lifetime. Meryl Streep played her wonderfully. Kurt Russell and Cher played their roles quite admirably. This film was showed to high school students who became equally fascinated by the story after viewing the history channel's video. After the film, they even wanted to watch the biography video. Now anything that can keep teenagers interested in plutonium and nuclear energy is worth all the trouble. THis film's only criticism from the students was that there was too much smoking in this film. Granted, all the main characters smoked in the seventies. After all, I think lung cancer from smoking was far less riskier than working in a nuclear plant.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
I think many reviews miss the point, 2 August 2003

Author: LoliRyder from Canada

One of the things that many movies are missing these days are the small details and things that happen in everyday life - and how we are able to learn about characters through small visual clues rather than the large hammer of exposition-driven dialogue.

For instance, in the scene where the characters are looking at the slides of the trip to Washington: towards the end are two photos with Streep and Ron Silver's character. In the second photo, she leans into him a little bit. That tiny bit of body language makes us wonder - and Kurt Russell's character too. He suddenly moves his arm from around Streep's and suddenly she's aware that something's wrong. It's all in the unspoken. There isn't a preceding scene where she picks up the other guy, or goes to bed with him or even lies to Kurt Russell. It just cuts to this scene, and we the viewer learn along with Kurt that she's been unfaithful - which also reveals a little more about this person Karen Silkwood.

She's not a perfect hero - she's flighty, irresponsible, impulsive and non-committal - so the question becomes, why did she change? Why did she risk her life when she finally truly understood the risks? And how does Kurt Russell come to terms with this changed person he is in love with, given that he is just a guy who knows how to fix a car not save the world?

Watch Mike Nichols' inspired direction; he rarely cuts away in the middle of a scene. A lot of Kurt, Cher and Meryl's acting happens all in one take. *That's* truly good acting and directing.

Good dialogue in a film is in knowing what's happening without it being said. Don't fast forward the first hour - really pay attention and see how much you learn from the small details that will enrich your viewing of this film.

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13 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
A Woman With A Plan, 20 October 2003

Author: Matt Roberts from North Wales, U.K

When I first saw this film a year ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I couldn't believe how brave one woman could be, with disastrous consequences. Someone who fought not for herself, but for other people as much as herself. To protect others from terminal illness and maybe death.

Karen Silkwood is a normal woman, dating a normal man, living with her boyfriend and friend in a normal house in a normal town. She works in the power plant, which seems to be pretty normal, but when the truth is unfolded, it puts everyone who works there lives in danger.

Meryl Streep --- Karen Silkwood

Cher --- Dolly

Kurt Russell --- Drew

Written by --- Nora Ephon

Directed by --- Mike Nichols

Running Time --- 126 mins

Certificate --- 15

**THE PLOT**

Most of the people in Karen's town work in the local power plant down the road from where they live. It's an easy life. They go in and work, even though they have to wear special masks, they're pretty safe. But, all goes downhill when Karen realises that the plant are cheating all the employees and putting people's lives in risk and in danger.

Karen was stuck in a marriage she was unhappy in, and moved from Texas to a little town miles away. Although she was happy she'd got out of an awful marriage, she had to leave her kids behind with their father and move alone to a new town.

Luckily she did find work in the local power plant, but she only managed to go and see her children every couple of months.

One night whilst Karen is going home, she sees her boss burying a massive lorry full of radioactive plutonium into the ground outside the plant. Karen thinks nothing of it, until more and more unfortunate things begin to happen.

In the plant there's a scanner. Every person who walks into the room must pass his or her hands through the scanner, to make sure no radioactive plutonium has affected them. But, when one of Karen's friends gets `cooked' and has to be cleaned with a brush she becomes suspicious.

Soon, Karen fights against her plant to safe herself and her friends around her, whilst trying to cope with a loving boyfriend, and a lesbian best friend, who's fallen in love with her.

Karen fights and fights for others thorough the film, and her strength really makes you sad but overjoyed that there were some people like this in the world at one time, fighting for others.

**PERFORMANCES**

I don't remember seeing Meryl Streep in anything before this. She plays Karen Silkwood excellently, and although she doesn't resemble any likeness to the real Karen Silkwood, she still manages to fool us that she is actually the strong woman herself.

All three main actors have won Oscars, and I think all deserved one for this. Streep managed to show us the witty side of Karen, but also managed to show us her strong and kind side as well.

Karen finds it heart-breaking having to live away from her kids, and Streep really shows us not just how difficult that part of her life was, but how difficult her entire life was.

I was shocked to find out Cher played Dolly the anything but lesbian who cares more about the kitchen table than her appearance! Cher steps down from her glamorous roles, and plays the loyal best friend.

Cher's acting skills really come out in the film, because Dolly seems to be the complete opposite to Cher's character. Dolly doesn't wear make-up, doesn't care about hat people think about her, and basically is very laid-back. Nothing like the real star!

It's nice to see Cher play this sort of role, and prove to us that she can really act. She gave Streep a run for her money, and I'm sure she shocked a lot of people at the time of the release, showing that she really can act.

The third main-character is Kurt Russell, who plays Karen's badly done to boyfriend. Karen deeply loves him, but Drew cant seem to understand why she's fighting against the plant, and is more worried what will happen to her than anything else.

I don't think they cast the best person for Drew, I feel someone shyer would have been a bit more believable. But, nonetheless, he played his part wonderfully as Drew.

All three characters were very strong in one-way or another, and we really needed a strong actor/actress to play them. Someone like Susan Sarandon would have been too stereotypical, for Karen we needed someone who didn't always play the same part.

Obviously, all three actors did a lot of research, because all three main characters were alive at one time, as the film is based on true events. The research pulled off, and they managed to make us believe Kurt, Meryl and Cher are also Drew, Karen and Dolly.

**MY OPINION**

This is my favourite film of all time. Not just because I'm blown away but the story, and the fact it is true, but the characters blow me away. All are so odd, but you can see and understand why they do something.

When I first saw the film, I was very upset but also intrigued. I have learnt a lot about Karen Silkwood and her life since the film, and along with Princess Diana, she is one of my heroines.

Every little thing in the film makes it a must-see for everyone. Everyone will enjoy this film, but maybe enjoy isn't the right word. It's a strong story that you don't enjoy it, but you won't believe what you see.

The film was screen played excellently and thoroughly by Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle) and you can tell she looked at every detail.

**ALL IN ALL**

A brilliant film with fantastic performances, a fantastic story that will blow you away. A really touching film. A MUST see!

Written By: Matt Roberts.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Brave Treatment of a Controversial Subject, 10 September 2004

Author: James Hitchcock from Tunbridge Wells, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Contains spoilers

Karen Silkwood works at a nuclear processing plant in Oklahoma; the company's business involves manufacturing plutonium fuel-rods for the nuclear power industry. At the beginning of the film Karen seems to be an ordinary worker with no tendencies towards activism or political radicalism. (The fact that she and her boyfriend display a prominent Confederate battle flag in their bedroom would suggest that politically she is on the right). She changes, however, when she realises that the management of the plant have a cavalier attitude towards the health and safety of their employees, particularly the risks of radioactive contamination, and that, worse still, they are doctoring x-ray photographs of the fuel rods in order to cover up potential defects that could prove disastrous. Karen becomes a campaigner for improved safety standards, but is killed in a car crash while driving to meet a journalist to inform him of her suspicions.

I would agree with the author of the earlier comment who stated that Hollywood films rarely focus on the lives of modern working-class people, and that 'Silkwood' is one of the rare exceptions. (Films with a labour relations theme, such as 'Matewan' or 'The Molly Maguires', often have a historical setting, as though clashes between workers and employers were something from the Bad Old Days which have largely been overcome in modern society). Nevertheless, 'Silkwood' is not simply a tale of 'workers versus capitalists'. Although Karen's safety campaign has the support of her trade union's national leadership, she antagonises not only the management of the plant but also many of her fellow-workers, who value job security more than personal safety. There are few other employment opportunities in their small town, and they fear that, if forced to implement stricter safety rules, the company will simply close the plant, thus putting them out of work. There is a strong implication that the 'accident' in which Karen dies may have been arranged deliberately, but there is no hint as to who might have been responsible.

The more recent Julia Roberts film 'Erin Brockovich' owes a clear debt to 'Silkwood'. Both films are based on true stories, and in both a young single mother takes on a powerful corporation playing fast and loose with public safety. 'Erin Brockovich', with its upbeat ending, is more optimistic; it is also, in my view, the better film as its director Steven Soderbergh is able to hold our interest throughout, whereas 'Silkwood' can drag at times. The first half of the film, which concentrates as much on Karen's tangled personal life as on the main theme of nuclear safety, can seem particularly slow. Nevertheless, the film becomes more gripping in the second half, aided by a superb performance from Meryl Streep in the leading role, one of a series of great parts that made her probably the best film actress of the eighties. I am always surprised that she lost the 'Best Actress' Oscar to Shirley MacLaine's caricature of a performance in 'Terms of Endearment'. There are also excellent contributions from Kurt Russell as Karen's boyfriend Drew and from Cher, cast against type as Dolly, the dowdy lesbian who befriends Karen.

'Silkwood' is not a great film, but it is a brave one, treating a controversial social and political issue with greater freedom than we normally see in Hollywood movies. 7/10

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Considering the time period, a pretty good film., 23 October 2003

Author: devron1 from New York, NY

I took the time to register with IMDB just to present a more accurate review of this movie than the person that wrote that the movie was a joke. While not one of the best movies of its type, it's still pretty well done. The story moves along well....clues are dropped throughout the movie to show the possible conspiracy at work. I would consider "The Insider" as one of the better movies of this type that was made in recent years, and even that movie shows traces of having evolved from movies like Silkwood.

I find most movies of this type that were done in the 80s as generally pretty cheesy. Silkwood does a pretty good job of "not being too cheesy". And if there is any trace of "cheesiness" (if you will), it's represented in the way that the townspeople react to Karen Silkwood. And the reactions worked for me, because when I think of how seriously people reacted to issues like nuclear or toxic contamination back in the late 70s/early 80s, there was a lot less info available. Nowadays in the "Oprah" and "11 o'clock news warnings" generation, where there's something new that we should be cautious of everyday, these types of stories are much more believable.

Meryl Streep (as expected) far outshines the rest of the cast. Kurt Russell turns out a pretty nice performance. Cher's performance was ok. I think at the time she probably received a lot more recognition for this role because it began to show her range. But she's been better in subsequent roles.

All in all, Silkwood is a movie that doesn't suprise or open the eyes of all the conspiracy- conscious people that are alive in 2003, but it does provide a touching story about a town that was dealing with the prospect of having to choose between the risk of toxic infection and their livelihood. But the real story here is about the one woman that cared enough to dig a little and ask a few questions and the danger that developed from taking a stand. 8 out of 10.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
We're all nuked and going to Hell., 30 March 2006

Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA

Apparently, when "Silkwood" came out, Mike Nichols hadn't released a notable movie since "The Fortune" nearly killed his career eight years earlier. If we call this his comeback, then it was sure a good comeback. Donning one of her many accents from over the years - in this case Oklahoman - Meryl Streep plays Karen Silkwood, a plutonium processing plant employee who sought to expose the dangerous conditions in her workplace...and mysteriously died in a car wreck.

This is the sort of opportunity to be idiotically preachy, but the movie never degenerates into that. It shows how the plant's owners poisoned her and psychologically berated her. This brings to mind the overall issue of how the nuclear age affected the whole planet. Nuclear tests by both the US and USSR left the whole world irradiated. Nuclear power may be discredited, but apparently NO PERSON ON EARTH has escaped nuclear fallout. So much for progress.

All in all, "Silkwood" is a really good movie. It's surprising to see Kurt Russell and Cher (as Karen's roommates Drew Stephens and Dolly Pelliker) in this sort of movie; we associate him with kick-ass roles and her with treacly roles. But they do a very good job. Also starring Craig T. Nelson, Diana Scarwid, Fred Ward, Ron Silver, and Bruce McGill.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Meryl Streep at her best, 2 October 2002
Author: Brett Walter (StreepFan126@cs.com) from Santa Clarita, CA

Even though you already now how the movie ends just by reading the taglines, there is still a strong element of suspense in this film, about Karen Silkwood who suspects that the lives of hereself and her co-workers are in danger. It is a well written film, and masterfully acted by Streep and her castmates. This one makes Julia Roberts in Erin Brochievich look really bad.

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