Nightbreaker (film)

Nightbreaker (also known as Advance to Ground Zero) is a 1989 American historical drama television film directed by Peter Markle and written by T. S. Cook, inspired by the book Atomic Soldiers: American Victims of Nuclear Experiments by Howard L. Rosenberg.^[1] The film stars Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez as older and younger versions of fictional neurologist Alexander Brown. It also stars Lea Thompson, Melinda Dillon, and Joe Pantoliano.

Nightbreaker
Film poster
Inspired by	Atomic Soldiers: American Victims of Nuclear Experiments by Howard L. Rosenberg
Written by	T. S. Cook
Directed by	Peter Markle
Starring	Martin Sheen Emilio Estevez Lea Thompson
Composer	Peter Bernstein
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Martin Sheen Jeffrey Auerbach
Producer	William R. Greenblatt
Cinematography	Ronald Víctor García
Editor	Stephen E. Rivkin
Running time	99 minutes
Production companies	Symphony Pictures Wisdom Productions Companionway Films
Original release
Network	TNT
Release	March 8, 1989 (1989-03-08)

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

Cast

• Martin Sheen as Alexander Brown (1980s)
• Emilio Estevez as Alexander Brown (1950s)
• Joe Pantoliano as Sergeant Jack Russell
• Lea Thompson as Sally Matthews
• Melinda Dillon as Paula Brown
• Paul Eiding as Roscoe Cummings
• Geoffrey Blake as Python
• James Marshall as Barney Immerman