Silkwood poster

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Silkwood

1983 · Movie · 131 min
B

MEANRANK

72/100

Averaged across 9 ratings · 59.5K votes

Every rating

Platform pages last read 29 September 2026. IMDb’s figure comes from IMDb’s own data file, which we re-read about once a month.

65–79 out of 100

Everyone agrees

Lowest is Metacritic critics on 65, highest is Rotten Tomatoes viewers on 79.

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Like most of the people in her town, Karen Silkwood works at the local nuclear plant producing highly radioactive plutonium. Exposed one day to a lethal dose of radiation, Karen faces the blank walls of corporate indifference and denial. As her illness increases, her protest grows louder and she becomes an obvious danger to the powers that be.

Details

Director
Mike Nichols
Released
14 December 1983
Country
United States
Language
English
Runtime
131 min
Rated
R
Budget
$10.0M
Box office
$35.6M
Awards
2 wins, 15 nominations

This title elsewhere

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep

Karen Silkwood

Kurt Russell

Kurt Russell

Drew Stephens

Cher

Cher

Dolly Pelliker

Craig T. Nelson

Craig T. Nelson

Winston

Fred Ward

Fred Ward

Morgan

Diana Scarwid

Diana Scarwid

Angela

Ron Silver

Ron Silver

Paul Stone

Charles Hallahan

Charles Hallahan

Earl Lapin

Awards & nominations

See all 17 →

1 major award won · 2 wins from 17 nominations across 7 ceremonies

Golden Globe Awards 1983 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Cher Winner
Academy Awards 1983 Best Director Mike Nichols Nominee
Academy Awards 1983 Best Actress Meryl Streep Nominee
Academy Awards 1983 Best Supporting Actress Cher Nominee
Academy Awards 1983 Best Original Screenplay Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen Nominee
Academy Awards 1983 Best Film Editing Sam O'Steen Nominee
Golden Globe Awards 1983 Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Meryl Streep Nominee
Golden Globe Awards 1983 Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominee
Show all 17 awards across 7 ceremonies

Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.