The China Syndrome

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The China Syndrome

PG

1979

2h 2m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

A news reporter (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman (Michael Douglas) are unintentional witnesses to a SCRAM incident, an emergency core shutdown procedure at a nuclear power plant in California. The crew prevents a catastrophe, but the plant supervisor (Jack Lemmon) begins to suspect the plant is in violation of safety standards, and tries desperately to bring it to the attention of the public, fearing that another SCRAM incident will produce an atomic disaster.

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Critics Consensus

With gripping themes and a stellar cast, The China Syndrome is the rare thriller that's as thought-provoking as it is tense.

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

The characters are never more than skin-deep, but the events are more important, and director James Bridges builds the tension to an almost unbearable pitch.

Nov 8, 2021

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

A tightly assembled didactic thriller.

Mar 27, 2009

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Variety Staff

Variety

A moderately compelling thriller about the potential perils of nuclear energy, whose major fault is an overweening sense of its own self-importance.

Mar 26, 2009

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

The China Syndrome is a tense thriller and it also serves as a reminder of how far some people will go to keep a problem from becoming public.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 2, 2025

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

A large part of the film is simply people having conversations in rooms – but oh what people. Oh what conversations.

Rated: 7/10

Jan 21, 2025

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John Brosnan

Starburst

It’s a beautifully made thriller that never puts a foot wrong and maintains its pace and skillful build-up of suspense to the very end.

Jul 23, 2022

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Audience Member

Watching again in 2025. Still pretty good though it's got some years on it. A movie about all of the unfounded fears of nuclear power, thank god we are advanced enough now to see how awesome it is and how silly people can be, in hindsight. Fonda, Douglas, and Lemmon are good enough to merit keeping the movie in your collection just b/c they are all in it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/22/25

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L S

As close to excellence as it gets. Entire cast are absolutely on fine form here as the story slowly evolves into a tense battle of wills that'll have you chewing your nails. Superb.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/19/25

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John M

Jack Lemmon alone is worth the price of admission - a brilliant portrayal of a man conflicted about what he knows in his heart he must do.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/16/24

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j f

Dire warning of what would happen if Lil Tony was in charge of nuclear power instead of disease. Title is coincidence.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

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Audience Member

A good 70s movie with a great cast

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/03/23

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Russ G

Ensign Pulver running a nuke plant! What Can POSSIBLY Go Wrong? Seriously, Jack Lemmon is only suited for screwball comedies, and just barely. If his foil is Jimmy Cagney, that's one thing, but to see him do his usual shtick here is just painful. Throw in the overacting by Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas, and you've got yourself a real stinker.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/16/22

Full Review

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James Bridges

Director

Jane Fonda

Kimberly Wells

Jack Lemmon

Jack Godell

Michael Douglas

Richard Adams

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Synopsis

A news reporter (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman (Michael Douglas) are unintentional witnesses to a SCRAM incident, an emergency core shutdown procedure at a nuclear power plant in California. The crew prevents a catastrophe, but the plant supervisor (Jack Lemmon) begins to suspect the plant is in violation of safety standards, and tries desperately to bring it to the attention of the public, fearing that another SCRAM incident will produce an atomic disaster.

Director: James Bridges
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: IPC Films
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 16, 1979, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Runtime: 2h 2m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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