Independent Films, Film Profiles

The Manhattan Project (film)

The Manhattan Project was an American film released on June 13, 1986. Named after the World War II-era program, the plot revolves around a gifted high school student who decides to construct a nuclear bomb for a national science fair. The film's underlying theme involves the Cold War of the 1980s when government secrecy and mutually assured destruction were key political and military issues. Costing $500,000 to produce, the film grossed $3,900,000 USD at the box office.[2] It was directed by Marshall Brickman, based upon his screenplay co-written with Thomas Baum, and starred Christopher Collet, John Lithgow, John Mahoney, and Cynthia Nixon.Dr. John Mathewson (John Lithgow) discovers a new process for refining plutonium to purities greater than 99.997 percent. The U.S. government provides him a laboratory located near a suburban neighborhood in Ithaca, New York masked as the medical company, Medatomics. Mathewson moves to Ithaca and meets real estate agent Elizabeth Stephens (Jill Eikenberry) while searching for an apartment. He attempts to win the affections of the single mom by inviting her teenage son Paul (Christopher Collet) to take a tour of Medatomics and see "one of the sexiest lasers in the free world."Mathewson is confident in the lab's cover story but Paul, an unusually gifted student with a passion for science, becomes suspicious when he discovers a statistically impossible patch of five-leaf clover on the grounds. Paul and his aspiring journalist girlfriend, Jenny Anderman (Cynthia Nixon), decide to expose the weapons factory in dramatic fashion. Paul breaks into Medatomics and steals a container of plutonium. To obtain maximum publicity, Paul decides to build a nuclear bomb and enter the product into the New York Science Fair. After convincing his mother and his school that his project is about hamsters bred in darkness, he begins research and construction of the nuclear device.Mathewson and Medatomics discover that a container of plutonium has been replaced by a bottle of shampoo. A military investigation team, led by Lt. Colonel Conroy (John Mahoney), immediately arrives on the scene. Their investigation reveals that Paul is responsible for stealing the plutonium. Suspecting him of terrorism, the investigators invade Paul's home and discover he and Jenny have left for the science fair.The agents capture the couple in New York City and Mathewson, who feels personally responsible for the crisis, has a private talk with Paul. He tells Paul to just give the bomb to the agents or "they'll lock you in a room somewhere and throw away the room." Several of Paul's friends at the science fair help him and Jenny escape custody and they become fugitives from the government.In an effort to expose the company, Paul hatches a brave plan to return the bomb on his own terms. Ensuring Jenny is a safe distance away, he calls the agents from a pay phone and walks into Medatomics with the nuclear bomb surrounded by snipers and agents. During the standoff, negotiations stall and Paul suddenly arms the nuclear bomb. Mathewson, convinced that Paul is not an actual terrorist, attempts to intercede on his behalf.Due to radiation from the pure plutonium, the bomb's timer suddenly turns on by itself and begins to count down with increasing speed. All sides put down their weapons and frantically work as a team to dismantle the nuclear device. They manage to disarm the bomb at the last possible moment (the timer reads 7:16:45, a sly reference to the first nuclear test on July 16, 1945). After a brief moment of relief, Conroy decides to arrest Paul. Mathewson refuses to cooperate and opens the door to the company revealing a large crowd, including Jenny and the press. He says to the military, "We blew it." With the weapons factory exposed, Conroy and his agents leave the premises and the residents of Ithaca embrace Paul as a hero.