The China Syndrome

The China Syndrome is a 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a reporter and her cameraman who discover safety coverups at a nuclear power plant. It stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, and Wilford Brimley.

The film was directed by James Bridges and written by Bridges, Mike Gray, and T. S. Cook.

It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jack Lemmon), Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jane Fonda), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (George Jenkins, Arthur Jeph Parker) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. The film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, and Jack Lemmon won Best Actor for his performance. The film's script won the 1980 Writers Guild of America award.

"China Syndrome" is a fanciful term—not intended to be taken literally—that describes a fictional worst-case result of a nuclear meltdown, where reactor components melt through their containment structures and into the underlying earth, "all the way to China".