director mike nichols ( the graduate ) bring to the screen the tragic story of work class hero karen silkwood ( meryl streep ) and who die under mysterious circumstance while try to expose shady practice at the kerr mcgee plant and the oaklahoma nuclear power plant where she work . nichols film center on karen and her boyfriend drew ( kurt russell ) and their roommate dolly ( cher ) and who may or may not have be a traitor to karen . it be speculate in the film that dolly tell kerr mcgee that karen have gather some particularly damaging evidence against them and which indeed karen have do . whether dolly have her own reason for offer the information be still open to debate . but with the help of an impassioned union representative ( ron silver ) karen eventually decide to meet with a reporter from the new york time and make the story public . karen silkwood die the day of that plan meeting and in what many believe be an act of premeditated murder and disguise by the kerr mcgee bigwig a a single car accident . the plant shut down one year after silkwood death and and there be still debate about whether or not plutonium from kerr mcgee be supply to middle eastern entity . it a fascinating case about the ethic of corporate power and and also about one person noble attempt to expose and improve a corrupt system . but silkwood mostly focus on the human casualty of say corruption and and it do so with a knock out cast and a terrific script . it be equal part character study and corporate political expose and and it be no doubt due to mr. nichols direction that both aspect succeed admirably . while i be not particularly a meryl streep fan and karen silkwood be a role she be obviously bear to play . she throw herself so fully into the part that the actress disappear completely . streep bring an accessible and warm funkiness to karen and and make her at once sexy and insecure and volcanic and and pitiable . the script do not shy away from silkwood own occasionally dubious nature and and the script be smart enough not to canonize her . russell give one of his most realistic performance and light year beyond his heavy hand turn in such film a big trouble in little china . he have a terrific chemistry with streep and as well a with cher and and i think it be with silkwood ( as well a escape from new york ) that he really transcend his early disney career and and begin to be consider for good and more mature role . cher and who have recently make her film debut in robert altman come back to the five and dime and jimmy dean and jimmy dean and be excellent a the tender and ambiguous dolly . her scene when dolly be lie ( . ) to karen about the exact information that she supply to kerr mcgee be chill while there be something terrible just beneath the surface of dolly reaction and and cher play this awkward discussion with a distant and downplayed brilliance . i think the role of dolly be her best film act to date . every performance in the film work and with diana scarwid ( mommie dearest ) stand out in her small role a dolly lover angela . it seem impossible to imagine anyone else in these role and or anyone but nichols direct the film . it be claustrophobic and frightening at time and and at other time it be sublimely beautiful and haunt . not to be miss .