Special Bulletin (TV 1983)

A TV reporter and cameraman are taken hostage on a tugboat while covering a workers strike. The demands of the hostage-takers are to collect all the nuclear detonators in the Charleston, SC... See full summary »

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers:

Marshall Herskovitz (screenplay), Marshall Herskovitz (story),

Stars:

Ed Flanders, Kathryn Walker, Roxanne Hart

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Flanders	...	John Woodley
Kathryn Walker	...	Susan Myles
Roxanne Hart	...	Megan 'Meg' Barclay
Christopher Allport	...	Steven Levitt
David Clennon	...	Dr. Bruce Lyman
David Rasche	...	Dr. David McKeeson
Rosalind Cash	...	Frieda Barton
Ebbe Roe Smith	...	Jim Seaver
Roberta Maxwell	...	Diane Silverman
Robert Kay	...	George Takashima
J. Wesley Huston	...	Bernard Frost
Frank Dent	...	Dr. Jason Halpern
Charles Lanyer	...	Merritt Cunningham
Mie Hunt	...	Ellen Stevens
Bruce Fields	...	Walter S. Letteau

Storyline

A TV reporter and cameraman are taken hostage on a tugboat while covering a workers strike. The demands of the hostage-takers are to collect all the nuclear detonators in the Charleston, SC area so they may be detonated at sea. They threaten to detonate a nuclear device of their own of their demand isnt met.

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Plot Keywords:

nuclear | tv reporter | tugboat | tv movie | terrorism | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1983 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was part of a 1980s cycle of films about atomic bombs and nuclear warfare which had started in 1979 with The China Syndrome. The films included Silkwood, Testament, Threads, WarGames, The Day After, The Atomic Cafe, The Manhattan Project, Whoops Apocalypse, Special Bulletin, Ground Zero, Barefoot Gen (Barefoot Gen), Rules of Engagement, When the Wind Blows, Letters from a Dead Man (Pisma myortvogo cheloveka), Memoirs of a Survivor and The Chain Reaction.

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Quotes

John Woodley: Is it possible to compare the weapons deployed today, the kind of the Russians may have aimed at Charleston with what the terrorists have on that ship?
Arlen Surrey: John, tonight, people who are 5 miles from the harbor would survive the blast at least. If a Soviet 1 megaton bomb was dropped on the harbor, those people, 5 miles away, would be vaporized in the first three-fifths of a second.

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Crazy Credits

Opens with a commercial advertising shows for the fictional RBS network, followed by the title "Special Bulletin" as the commercial is interrupted. There are no opening credits, making this one of the first TV movies ever produced without some sort of opening credits.

User Reviews

S10 Review's Special Bulletin (1983)

Special Bulletin (1983) 5 of 5 Dir: Edward Zwick Stars: Ed Flanders, Christopher Allport, Mary Armstrong

A reporter and his cameraman are covering an impending dock workers strike when a vehicle roles up and a fire fight ensues. Next thing you know he is broadcasting live from a ship stating the demands of a group of terrorists who threaten to set off a nuclear device if they demands are not met.

This taunt and very well acted TV film grabs you from the beginning and won't let go. The film is told as live breaking news situation, 'Special Bulletin' benefits from excellent edition and a tight script. It will keep you on the edge of your seat up until the final fatal frame. The film seems even more deadly urgent now post 9/11. Highly recommended.