Hail (1972) User Reviews

The most brilliant political satire you've never seen.

[kucheeku · 13 March 2003]

Hail is a scathing political satire about a presidential administration gone mad with power and paranoia. A Nixon-type president becomes involved in political assassinations and establishing detention camps for "subversives" for the good of the nation. Richard Shull is brilliant as the Secretary of HEW and the president's most confidential advisor. Many other familiar faces appear here: Dick O'Neill (Barney Miller), Phil Foster (Laverne & Shirley), and Gary Sandy (WKRP in Cincinnati). I've watched this film again as the US is preparing for war in Iraq (3/03). Amazing connections to real life appear in this film. For instance: blaming the "liberal media" for dissent and detaining "undesireables" without due process. Leaning close to heavy handed at times, Hail nonetheless makes its point in a hilarious and chilling way. Hunt this one down.

Had to buy a used video after seeing on cable

[D A · 8/10 · 27 October 1998]

Great use of actors you've seen plenty of places before, but never in starring roles. The disclaimer / warning at the beginning seems a bit heavy handed, but as a whole, the film works on a great anti-establishmentarian level. Richard Schulla and Gary Sandy (WKRP) are stand outs.

Tight,well done turns out to be a true story.

[irwin-24 · 10/10 · 26 February 2008]

I was lucky to have attended the Premier because the picture didn't hang around too long. Hail was written and released months before Nixon's downfall. The writers must of had an inside line to the White House. Scene by scene, Hail to the Chief is a complete story of the nuts we elect to save our country. I loved the men's room scene. Dan Resin makes a good president. Get a copy, if you can and compare to George. It was rather unfortunate that picture was not picked up for general distribution. There was probably too much realism in the picture as compared to the actual picture on Capital Hill. The uniforms for the White House Guards, the paranoia that surrounded Nixon and his military hit unit that was all around him, was presented in a very laughable manner. Still and all, Hail to the Chief continues to be a good picture to enjoy. The simple fact that this Commander-in-Chief satire, still rings true in our current events makes the picture almost timeless. Hopefully, only the comedy aspect will be timeless.

The inmates truly are running the Asylum.

[mark.waltz · 9/10 · 23 February 2024]

A federal government official who gets apparently blown up has toilet paper on his shoe before the explosion. The band at a political convention uses their hands as instruments to play "The Yellow Rose of Texas". A champagne cork acts like a bullet and hits some V. I. P. In the chest. A woman sobs after a plate of food ends up as a chest decoration at a lavish dinner. Talks of internment camps occur over various sight gags. The administration acts like arguing teens as they deal with those wild in the streets, a reference to a 1969 anti-establishment film where a teenager became the prez.

With a cast led by Dan Resin, Richard B. Shull, Dick O'Neill and Gary Sandy, this dark farce takes aim at the childish like aspects of our government that SNL would later take on in lighter ways. It takes on what was going on in the Nixon administration through fictional characters, and makes everyone complete buffoons. The electrocution of a political enemy and his wife is played for laughs, but while there's laughter, there's also a shaking finger both at the power hungry mad men in charge and especially to the public to wake up.

There's no way in the early 70's that this would be allowed to have any kind of lengthy life, and 50+ years later is still shaking its finger at the world. This doesn't seem to really take a side, liberal or conservative, and just wants to expose humanity in general as messed up and in need of a reality check. Of course the big slap is towards power hungry fools who all end up paying in one way or another, and there's plenty of characters to represent public figures of the early 70's and even today. The tongue is so far in cheek that it's shooting blood and spittle directly at the American flag.