Silkwood (1983)

Brother and I stayed up to watch Silkwood tonight. And I'm glad we did. Not only was it the first time I'd seen the movie all the way through, but it was also the first time I'd really seen much of the movie at all. I have to say, I'm pretty blown away. Silkwood is by no means a masterpiece. But some of it is very hard hitting. And I like the characters and performances. And believe me, there were a lot of good performances. If nothing else, Silkwood is quite a who's who of actors for the last thirty years.

There are spoilers below the cut.

Silkwood has a problem, it is the structure of the movie and the characterization of the main character, Karen Silkwood. Silkwood is like a lot of movies in that the first half, when things are setting up and characters are being established, is much better and interesting than the second half, when those details of atmosphere and character are lost as the action gears up. In the first half, Karen Silkwood is this hardluck woman who lives in an oppressive world. She shares a house with boyfriend Drew and homosexual best friend Dolly. Karen's ex-common law husband has full custody of their three children down in Texas and doesn't make it easy for Karen to see them. And finally, Karen and her cohorts work inside a timebomb.

The second half gets started when Karen gets "cooked" and becomes more aware of the dangers of contamination. It's logical that she would get involved in the union, going from Point A to Point B. But I feel there wasn't enough progression from Point C to Point D to Point E. There was also some pretty cliche relationship fallout from Karen radicalizing. Her lover Drew takes off and Karen and best friend Dolly clash. But the second half is not without it's moments. I like the panic in the scenes when Karen is cooked the second time and then when she reenters the plant while contaminated. Also, Karen and Dolly had a nice moment out on the porch. Third, I liked the scene when Hurley is at Karen's house and seems genuinely reasonable and concerned for Karen.

Silkwood is a well done production. It has some pretty good scenery porn. Lots of outdoor shots. The whole Texas trip takes place with oil refineries in the background which is great for atmosphere. I am really impressed with the scenes inside the plant. Really effective in giving things a claustrophobic feel. All the nuclear stuff looked authentic which established credibility. One thing I really liked was that restaurant Karen took her kids to. (God, I miss the 80s.) One thing I most impressed is how in the first half of the movie, Silkwood is saturated with a casual sense of doom.

The characters and acting are where Silkwood really shines. Everyone from Karen, Drew and Dolly to down to the people Karen works with in her sector have interesting things to say and do. As I mentioned, EVERYONE is in Silkwood. So all the characters are well played. Standing out, of course, is Meryl Streep who got an Oscar nom. In the first half of the movie, Karen Silkwood is another virtuoso performance by Meryl. Silkwood is an excellent Cher movie. I love Kurt Russell. The character Drew is spot on for the movie. I'm don't have the time to praise all of the actors. But I have to give kudos to Craig T. Nelson as the slimey Winston. Everytime Winston and Karen were alone, I was cringing. And kudos to Fred Ward as Karen's concerned co-worker Morgan. And kudos to Bruce McGill as Hurley, the hardcase, but ultimately professional boss at the plant.

Friends, I recommend Silkwood. It's an excellent film. It has excellent performances. It generates a lot of atmosphere and suspense. And it had lots of characters I cared about.

Image courtesy of The Meryl Streep Gallery.