The Manhattan Project

In this nail-biting thriller, Paul (CHRISTOPHER COLLET), a bright 16-year-old, discovers that his mother's boyfriend Dr. Mathewson (JOHN LITHGOW) is refining plutonium undercover, right in their neighborhood. Intent on exposing the secret weapons factory, Paul steals some plutonium with the help of his girlfriend (CYNTHIA NIXON) and constructs his own atomic bomb. By the time Dr. Mathewson discovers the plutonium is missing and informs the government, the device is built - but the timer inadvertently turns on, beginning a countdown to nuclear catastrophe. (official distributor synopsis)