Chain Reaction (1996)

Taglines: Reaction Time 8-4-96.

Chain Reaction movie storyline. Eddie Kasalivich, an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, works as a technician for a scientific team that discovers an alternative, low-cost, pollution-free fuel source. When one of the chief scientists is murdered and the invention stolen, Eddie and physicist Lily Sinclair are framed for it and have to flee for their lives, with the FBI, CIA and other involved parties in close pursuit. Paul Shannon, Eddies mentor, is the director of a scientific company which – unknown to Eddie – has commercial interests in the invention. Eddie and Lily set out to find the stolen invention and hopefully clear themselves of the false charges.

Chain Reaction is a 1996 American science fiction thriller film directed by Andrew Davis, starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Fred Ward, Kevin Dunn and Brian Cox. It presents a fictional account of the invention of a new non-contaminating power source based on hydrogen and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this technology. The film was released in the United States on August 2, 1996.

About the Story

Eddie Kasalivich (Keanu Reeves) is a student machinist working with a team from the University of Chicago to obtain clean energy from water by efficiently splitting the hydrogen and oxygen atoms from the water molecules. While working at home, Eddie inadvertently discovers the secret: a frequency that enables a perfect stabilization of their process. The machine is perfected the next day in the lab and everything appears to be working and stable. To celebrate, a party is thrown in the lab.

That night after the party, project physicist Dr. Lily Sinclair (Rachel Weisz) tries to leave the lab but her car battery is dead. Eddie offers to take her home by taxi; but, later says they took a bus. Back in the lab, Drs. Alistair Barkley and Lu Chen are on their computers preparing to upload their discovery to the Internet so the world can share in this new discovery, speaking Chinese. Meanwhile, a van is seen driving toward the lab. Chen hears a noise and goes to investigate, but is kidnapped by unknown assailants as Alistair also comes under attack.

Meanwhile, Lily and Eddie arrive at her house and after making sure she is okay, Eddie heads back to the lab to get his motorcycle. As he arrives at the lab, he sees a van leaving and hears alarms coming from the lab. He runs inside to find Alistair with a plastic bag over his head and Chen nowhere to be found. The hydrogen reactor is dangerously unstable and Eddie is unable to shut it down.

Realizing the reactor is going to overload, he speeds away on his bike as a concealed detonator triggers a massive hydrogen explosion that destroys the lab and surrounding streets. As rescue crews arrive, Eddie is questioned by the police and later the FBI about what happened the night of the blast. Upon returning with Lily to their homes, they realize that they are being framed as fake evidence is planted in both of their houses.

Both go on the run and head to an observatory belonging to Maggie McDermott, an old friend of Eddie’s. After resting up, they contact Paul Shannon (Morgan Freeman), the man funding the project (along with DARPA), but they’re almost caught in the process and barely manage to escape. As Eddie and Lily are evading more police, Paul meets with Lyman Earl Collier (Brian Cox) at C-Systems Research complex to discuss the current events.

It becomes apparent that the plot to destroy the lab and frame Eddie and Lily for it was orchestrated by the company, and that Lyman is responsible. Despite some disagreement, Paul and Lyman decide to continue the hunt for Eddie and Lily, a task made easier when Eddie sends a coded message to Paul requesting another place to meet. At this new rendezvous, Paul reveals he was involved, but wants to talk somewhere else. The meeting ends in an ambush, and Lily is captured as Eddie barely escapes.

By tracing the license plate on the van used in the ambush, Eddie is able to track them to the C-Systems Research facility where Lily and Chen are being held. When C-Systems’ test reactor fails again, Paul, the scientists, and the prisoners all leave the room, so Eddie takes the opportunity to “fix” the system.

The next morning, one of the other scientists discovers the working reactor and everyone celebrates. Paul is suspicious, and immediately obtains a download of the working data, and secretly gives it to his assistant, Anita, for safekeeping. He then finds Eddie at a computer in the company boardroom. There, Eddie demands to be let go in exchange for making the reactor work.

Paul agrees but Lyman refuses, believing that the process already works, so Eddie sets the reactor to explode while sending proof of his innocence to the FBI and blueprints of the reactor to “hopefully a couple thousand” international scientists. Lyman responds by shooting Chen dead, then leaving both Eddie and Lily to die in the explosion as he, Paul, and their staff flee the site, setting lockdown doors on the way.