Stars: Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, Cher, Craig T. Nelson, Josef Sommer

Director: Mike Nichols

Summary: Disturbing story of a female activist who attempted to expose a company's dangerous handling of radio-active materials.

Mike Nichols's film is based on the tragic true story of Karen Silkwood, an employee of an Oklahoma plutonium plant who tries to raise public awareness about dangerous conditions at the site. Meryl Streep stars as the title character. The movie received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Director, Best Actress--eryl Streep, and Best (Original) Screenplay.

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Reviewed by: davybozal24-7
Posted on April 12, 2006 1:23 PM

Like most of the people in her town , Karen Silkwood worked at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium . Exposed
one day to a lethal dose of radiation , Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial whilst coming to terms that she will suffer a painful and lingering death as a result of company negligence . As her illness increases , her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be . But Karen
is too spirited to be silenced and takes on the Plant with devastating
consequences . Wonderful performance from Meryl Streep as Karen.

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As a tale of self-discovery, Silkwood, Mike Nichols' 1982 biopic of the plutonium factory worker who uncovered negligence and dangerous practices at the heart of her employer's company, works well enough.

Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) is no saint. She drinks, cheerfully gets 'em out for the boys, has left her husband and kids and lives in a curious ménage à trois with her lover, (Kurt Russell) and their lesbian friend (Cher). But, through her own dawning suspicions, she is drawn into union activism and embarks on a crusade to expose the rottenness of her paymasters, only to die in a mysterious car crash. And here is the flaw. The film can't decide whether it's quirky soap opera, a campaigning blow for the anti-nuclear lobby or an allegory for the conflict between the rights of the individual and the demands of the corporate giant. It stops short of providing some important conclusions about what really happened to its central character, and why. Streep is fine though, injecting her character with a studied mixture of innate intelligence and trailer park trash. Russell offers solid support and Cher is outstanding as housemate Dolly Pelliker. Their performances give Silkwoodits heart as a powerful human drama.

On the DVD:Silkwoodis well-served on this DVD release by sharp picture and sound quality (Georges Delerue's poignantly jaunty country and western soundtrack benefits in particular), but the extras are static and add little to the package apart from a strictly "budget" feel: standard biographies of the stars and director with some pretty pointless trivia facts, and a brief history of the production. There's nothing here that even the most generalist of film fans won't already know. A director's commentary explaining why the film loses its bottle in the final reel would be more interesting. --Piers Ford

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Moving Menus, Production Notes, Cast Biographies, Trivia, Photo Gallery, Quotes, Chapter Points, Posters
Year:	1983
Release Date:	April 8, 2002
Runtime:	126 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P T D V D 1316
Label:	Freemantle
Keywords:	General, Wide, Screen, Silkwood, Drama
Genre:	Drama