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Silkwood (1983)

Director:
Mike Nichols
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Drama/Thriller/
Biography
NORWEGIAN TITLE
-
RUNNING TIME
124 minutes
Producer:
Michael Hausman
Mike Nichols
Screenwriter:
Alice Arlen
Nora Ephron


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Karen Silkwood Meryl Streep ½
Drew Stephens Kurt Russell
Dolly Pelliker Cher
Winston Craig T. Nelson ½
Morgan Fred Ward ½
Angela Diana Scarwid
Paul Stone Ron Silver
Max Richter Josef Sommer ½
Wesley David Strathairn

 

Review

Fine acting elevates this overlong and at times dull movie about working conditions at a nuclear plant in the 1970s, and the determined woman who tried to improve them. Helmed by actors' director Mike Nichols, the human drama is at times terrific, and the star trio are given a good amount of useful material to work with. Cher makes her Dolly highly interesting, with a levelled approach to her homosexuality, whereas Kurt Russell is somewhere near his peak as the sensitive hunk. But most important, of course, is a fiery and sparkling Meryl Streep who really brings Karen Silkwood to life. She's a vixen like you'll never see Streep again.

Silkwood is at its best depicting the social relations and daily life at the plant. The politics and paranoia are presented in typical 70s fashion, with creepy supporting characters and synthetic music, but that doesn't mean its not to some degree effective. Nichols never comes close to nailing any real level of suspense, but the plot remains interesting and fairly potent throughout, despite some overly slow pacing around the middle parts of the film. Look for a hilarious David Strathairn in a small part.

Copyright © 27.10.2006 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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