''Nightbreaker'' (also known as ''Advance to Ground Zero'') is a 1989 American

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and s ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by

Peter Markle Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and written by T. S. Cook, inspired by the book ''Atomic Soldiers: American Victims of Nuclear Experiments'' by Howard L. Rosenberg. The film stars

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

and

Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen. Emilio Estevez started his career as an actor and is known for being a member of the acting Br ...

as older and younger versions of fictional neurologist Alexander Brown. It also stars

Lea Thompson Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990) and Beverly Switzler in '' Howard the Duck'' (1 ...

Melinda Dillon Melinda Dillon (born October 13, 1939) is a retired American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', and she was nominated for the Academy Award ...

, and

Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions. After his early roles in the television series '' M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy '' Risky Bu ...

Plot

Dr. Alexander Brown (played by Sheen in framing scenes and Estevez in flashbacks) reflects on his involvement in the exposure of American soldiers to radiation in the proving grounds in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

in the 1950s after he is approached by a man who is dying of cancer due to the tests.

Cast

as Alexander Brown (1980s) *

as Alexander Brown (1950s) *

as Sergeant Jack Russell *

as Sally Matthews *

as Paula Brown *

Paul Eiding Paul Eiding (born March 28, 1957) is an American actor and instructor, best known for his voice roles as Colonel Roy Campbell in the ''Metal Gear'' series and Max Tennyson in the '' Ben 10'' franchise. During the 1970s, Eiding was a prolific c ...

as Roscoe Cummings * Geoffrey Blake as Python * James Marshall as Barney Immerman

References

External links

* 1989 films 1989 drama films 1989 television films 1980s historical drama films American films based on actual events American historical drama films American drama television films Drama films based on actual events Films about nuclear war and weapons Films based on American novels Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Peter Markle Films set in the 1950s Films set in the 1980s TNT Network original films 1980s American films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub