Silkwood (1983)
In a remarkable change of pace, Russell demonstrated his chops as an understated performer in this true story about a nuclear plant worker who was purposely contaminated, psychologically tortured and quite possibly murdered in a bid to keep her quiet about safety violations at the plant. Meryl Streep acts up a storm as the titular Karen Silkwood, earning herself a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination in the process, and Cher also impresses as her best friend, but Russell is impressive here too, doing something a little different to most of his biggest roles and earning himself his own Golden Globe nomination to boot – no mean feat given the pedigree he’s surrounded by in what remains a hugely watchable and affecting drama.
3 Comments