If "Silkwood" is such a great movie, then a large part of its greatness is definitely owed to Meryl Streep: She plays Karen Silkwood, a single mother who is working in a nuclear plant based somewhere in Oklahoma. In the beginning, Karen seems to be an average working-class girl living a rather simple life, without any ambitions or hidden potential. She stays with her boyfriend Drew (Russel) and their room-mate Dolly (Cher), and the three of them are living an uneventful life. However, Karen changes dramatically, when she starts to realize that the management of the plant they work in, is quite lax on security and health issues. As she starts to get more involved, she gradually finds people around her being distanced from her and even outright hostile and potentially dangerous. And yet, she becomes more and more determined to her goal, defying the risks that are continuously piling up...<br /><br />The performance that Streep gives as Karen Silkwood is really touching. She gives an excellent portrayal of a girl, who could be naive and even self-destructing on the one hand (just count the cigarettes she is smoking throughout the film to get an idea!), while on the other hand she proves to be a very altruistic and responsible person who does her utmost to protect her unappreciative fellow workers. Streep is amazing in her role, and she definitely deserved the Oscar for that one.<br /><br />Of course, "Silkwood" is not only Meryl Streep. Cher is very good as the lesbian room-mate, while Kurt Russel is surprisingly good as the confused boyfriend. Mike Nichols signs an excellent direction, so it all adds up very well. 9/10.