MELTDOWN MARK BRIDGES is a highly skilled U.
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MARK BRIDGES is a highly skilled U.S. Army Special Forces expert who returns to Arkansas after serving multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan. But his homecoming is less than cordial. His wife, CHASE, expresses her anger that he chose the Army over his family, and she tells him that their marriage may be irreparable after more than a dozen years apart.
Unable to find employment that meet his very specific skill sets – and needing a job to begin the process of slowly winning back his wife's trust – Bridges reluctantly accepts a job as a vending machine replenishment driver (for Little Debbie’s Pastries), handling a delivery route working out of his hometown of Russelville, Arkansas.
On an otherwise uneventful morning, Mark receives an “emergency text” regarding the vending machines in the break room at the Arkansas One Nuclear Power Plant. CHRIS TAYLOR, an animated plant worker on his last day at work, has become agitated that his cupcakes got stuck between the glass and the dispenser unit of the machine. In his opinion, this constitutes grounds for an Emergency Call to the route driver. After all, Chris is training his replacement, an engineer named Meng Zheng, and “staying properly nourished is essential safety protocol” he tells Meng.
Just minutes after Mark arrives at the plant and the employee the break room, all hell breaks loose.
A large group of heavily armed mercenaries - mostly appearing to be of Middle Eastern descent - have surrounded the plant, killed all the guards, and essentially taken control. The Nuclear One Plant Employee manifest and daily schedule does not list Mark Bridges as being present, because he's an outside supplier appearing on an unscheduled stop. The terrorists don't realize he's there... until it’s too late!
Bridges, Chris and Meng hide when the attackers barge-in to inspect the break room. The terrorists are scouring the facility – looking for Chris and Meng – who are the only two nuclear plant workers not already accounted for in the holding room they have turned into a makeshift prison for facility employees. Our trio learns of the terrorist’s plan to trigger a nuclear meltdown of the facility (the radiation fallout from which would likely kill tens-of-thousands).. and they decide to take action. With Bridge’s special weapons and hand-to-hand combat skills – combined with Meng’s secret martial arts expertise and Chris’s knowledge of the plant layout – our heroes slowly begin to prevail as they take out the attackers one-and-two at a time. Finally, as they get closer to the assault leader (overhearing him from a ventilation duct), they learn that the perpetrators are not Muslim terrorists... but are members of a Russian organized criminal gang, posing as terrorists in order to make a TEN BILLION DOLLAR profit from placing well-timed stock market “short-sales.” These “economic terrorists” believe that their U.S.-based terrorist attack and nuclear meltdown will trigger a short-term stock market panic – and will reap them enormous profits. The collateral damage of a few thousand “hillbillies” (as they refer to the area residents) dying from the radiation fallout is an inconsequential bonus in their diabolical plot.
During this whole adventure, Bridges has been communicating via his smart phone with the authorities that are now surrounding the plant’s perimeter – and with his wife and kids who express grave concern to learn that he's inside the facility, and working to defeat the attackers. As the film concludes with our trio’s ultimate victory (and their successful "stopping" of the nuclear meltdown process), Mark is reunited with his estranged wife, who has a renewed respect for her husband… and a greater understanding of why he had been so motivated to served his country. Crisis averted: bad guys lose, good guys win and the credits roll.
“MELTDOWN” combines the successful elements of “DIE HARD” with the buddy-comedy and action of “RUSH HOUR” to create a film of worldwide entertainment value.