a common question to this movie be represent if karen silkwood and her colleague be so worried about be contaminate by plutonium at a processing plant then why do they smoke so many cigarette if theyre worry about their health . duh because they volunteer to smoke . theyre adult and a adult they should be able to choose their own path to hell . even in 1973 the setting of this bio pic everyone know the risk of smoke related disease and it their health so if they want to ruin their health why should they be stop from do so . . mild spoiler . i do not know if it irony on the point of director mike nichols but there do seem to be an awful lot of cigarette consumption in this movie . certainly if there any one wanting to give up the weed they should give this movie a miss . but the point remain that in 1973 ciggie packet carry government health warning and everyone knew of the danger even though they do not want to admit it . be the plutonium industry quite so honest . what i like about this collaboration between director nichols and screenwriter alice arlen and nora ephron be that the audience be allow to think for themselves on the issue of conspiracy and possible state sanction murder . be karen silkwood bump off for know too much and for be a trouble maker . possibly state the film but much of this be leave somewhat ambiguous unlike say jfk by oliver stone . likewise karen urine sample . be it tamper with or be the radiation level high because karen be contaminate by a plutonium leak . once again the audience be leave to make up there own mind some people have criticize silkwood because it feel very much like one of those cheap tvms that even have a well know cast can not disguise . i would not disagree too much but this be because film of the period lack much gloss and you can probably use the opposite argument in that nowadays hollywood movie feature too much gloss and visual superficiality . compare silkwood with the insider or erin brockovich and make up your own mind if one not glossy enough or the other two be too glossy to be effective . certainly nichols direct a scene where karen walk through detector and a jump cut occur where she be undergo decontamination procedure . i have no idea why but this scene shock me to the core and this scene alone make silkwood a very memorable movie .