Wrong Is Right (1982)

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Charles McCarry (novel)
Richard Brooks (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 April 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Only Patrick Hale can prevent a desperate president, the head of the CIA, a trigger happy general, terrorists, an arms dealer, and religious fanatics from destroying our world, But he has other things on his mind.

Plot:

A satire of American news reporting, Covert Agencies, and political system. The theft of two suitcase sized nuclear weapons...

Plot Keywords:

Satire | Terrorist | Nuclear Weapon | Terrorist Group | Fictional News Show

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Patrick Hale
George Grizzard	...	President John Lockwood
Robert Conrad	...	Lt. Gen. Wombat
Katharine Ross	...	Sally Blake
John Saxon	...	Homer Hubbard
Henry Silva	...	Rafeeq
Hardy Krüger	...	Helmut Unger (as Hardy Kruger)
Toby Hughes	...	TV Cameraman
G.D. Spradlin	...	CIA Director Philindros
Leslie Nielsen	...	Mallory
Paul Lambert	...	Defense Secretary
Robert Webber	...	Harvey
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Young Girl on Reality Program
Dean Stockwell	...	Chief of Staff Hacker
Rosalind Cash	...	Vice President Ford

Also Known As:

The Man with the Deadly Lens

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 (1986) (cut) | UK:15 (2004) (uncut) | UK:AA (1982) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:16 (unconfirmed) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

During the film's final scene, Sean Connery tosses off the obvious toupee he had been wearing throughout the film before he parachutes out of a plane.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Twenty Years Too Soon

Reporter Sean Connery is hot on the trail of a terrorist seeking nuclear weapons. He's tracked by the CIA and other governmental agencies as well as various media outlets. Everyone manipulates everyone and in the end you're left wondering if there is anyone we can trust either in government or in the media.

When first released the film was a seemingly over the top spoof of the media and the governments uneasy relationship. No one could believe that this film was even remotely connected to reality and so they ignored it. I saw this film in a completely empty theater back in 1982. I was all alone and my laughter filled the theater. I thought it was a wicked spoof that took things, like the British Whoops Apocalypse, to a possible but uncomfortable conclusion.

After a run on cable this film dropped off the face of the earth and I didn't see it again until 1991 when I rented it during the first Iraq War. The film suddenly was very relevant and despite the fact that the jokes were funny, I couldn't laugh very much because what happened in the film was mirrored by reality.

Now, 22 years later, film comes out on DVD as the world is even closer to the type of things that happen in the film. Its still funny, and even more uncomfortable.

If you can take a film thats a black comedy that has slightly dated in some ways, but remains right on target with whats going on in the world see this film. Its simply a funny movie thats going to make you see things a little bit differently.