Silkwood

Extraordinary portrayals of everyday people characterize the contribution of director Mike Nichols' talented diverse cast. Once again, Nichols justifies his past plaudits for bringing the best out of his players.

The facts it can lay its hands on do not support a politically alarming or dramatically compelling conclusion to the mysteries of this case. Nor do they lead to a very uplifting statement about the motives and character of its central figure.

A very fine biographical drama.

Silkwood's "ordinariness" protects her from being labelled a wild-eyed Trot, but that should not be allowed to obscure her courage or the whitewash ladled onto her story after her death.

Silkwood is the story of an ordinary woman, hard-working and passionate, funny and screwed-up, who made those people mad simply because she told the truth as she saw it and did what she thought was right.

For most of its running time it is so convincing -- and so sure of itself -- that it seems a particular waste when it goes dangerously wrong.

It’s the performances that will stay with viewers for far longer than the shocking conclusion, especially considering the uncertainties surrounding Silkwood's irresolute ending.

The back half leaves offscreen decisions whose depiction would deepen Silkwood's complicated humanity. But Streep never leans on archetypes & Mike Nichols’ thoughtful blocking visualizes the line Silkwood wishes to walk … and keeps her just off its course

One of the best-performed films of 1983, with the result that even those times when Silkwood seems to be repeating itself are likely as not to be illuminated by fine acting.

Silkwood falls into that uneasy modern category of a film with a strong factual base which nevertheless shades off into fiction around its edges, either to avoid lawsuits or to make a more acceptable commercial package.