Meltdown (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Writers (WGA):

Larry Barber (written by) &
Paul Barber (written by)

Release Date:

6 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Terrorists didn't have to build a nuclear weapon... we built it for them.

Plot:

The telefilm centers on a present-day nuclear plant disaster and its aftermath. |

Plot Keywords:

Attorney General | FBI Agent | Bulletproof Vest | Government Coverup | Terrorist Attack

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Bruce Greenwood	...	Agent Tom Shea
Leslie Hope	...	Zoe Cox
Arnold Vosloo	...	Khalid / Sands
James Remar	...	Colonel Boggs
Susan Merson	...	Attorney General Zutrow
Will Lyman	...	Homeland Chief Utley
Bill Mondy	...	FBI Agent Tucci
Brent Stait	...	FBI Commander Hall
Adrian Holmes	...	Agent Charlie Jansen
Manoj Sood	...	Syed Kahn
Tony Alcantar	...	Reactor Tech Chuck Pasquin
Diego Diablo Del Mar	...	Marwan / Raul (as Diego Del Mar)
Alessandro Juliani	...	Salem / Emmett
Darren Shahlavi	...	Waleed / Frank
David Neale	...	Shafig / Jesse

Also Known As:

American Meltdown (USA) (working title)
Angst über Amerika (Germany)

Runtime:

USA:120 min | Netherlands:86 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Craig Anderson Productions

Compelling and Relevant

I was told by a friend and fellow 24 fan, that there was a fantastic movie made on the same subject as this years series storyline. I rented the movie and was completely blown away. I have to say, some of the comments above are harsh. As a television movie, this is hands above 95% of what's made. No one has mentioned that Chechik seemed inspired by Paul Greengrass' work on Bloody Sunday, rather than 24. Interestingly enough, I would say the writers of 24 actually saw this movie and went so far as to use its premise and if you can believe it, even cast the same actor as the lead terrorist, Arnold Vosloo. That said, the movie is pretty relentless. Chechik places you inside moments without editorializing. Although I might question some of the motivation of the terrorists, once I got the big twist, I found myself being less interested in the why and more interested in the how. Which I suppose is the reason FX made the movie. More importantly, the ending leaves you breathless in its callousness and in the position the US government takes regarding their actions. Actions characterized as being for the "good of the country." It's amazing to me how bad for the country that posit is. Really well done.