Wrong Is Right (1982)

A satire of American news reporting, Covert Agencies, and political system. The theft of two suitcase sized nuclear weapons, and their sale to a terrorist group, leads TV Newsman Patrick ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Charles McCarry (novel), Richard Brooks (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Sean Connery, George Grizzard, Robert Conrad

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	Patrick Hale
George Grizzard	...	President Lockwood
Robert Conrad	...	Gen. Wombat
Katharine Ross	...	Sally Blake
G.D. Spradlin	...	Philindros
John Saxon	...	Homer Hubbard
Henry Silva	...	Rafeeq
Leslie Nielsen	...	Mallory
Robert Webber	...	Harvey
Rosalind Cash	...	Mrs. Ford
Hardy Krüger	...	Helmut Unger (as Hardy Kruger)
Dean Stockwell	...	Hacker
Ron Moody	...	King Awad
Cherie Michan	...	Erika
Tony March	...	Abu

Storyline

A satire of American news reporting, Covert Agencies, and political system. The theft of two suitcase sized nuclear weapons, and their sale to a terrorist group, leads TV Newsman Patrick Hale on an international chase to track them down, and uncover the twisting maze of apparent involvement of US Government agencies.

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist group | nuclear weapon | satire | terrorist | arab stereotype | 

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Taglines:

If it doesn't happen on TV, it means nothing!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man with the Deadly Lens

Filming Locations:

Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,412,646 (USA) (14 May 1982)

Gross:

$1,412,646 (USA) (14 May 1982)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Rastar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie has been likened to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb due to it being a dark satire black comedy on the subject nuclear / atomic warfare. Moreover, Mary Ann Brussat and Frederic Brussat at the 'Spirituality and Practice' website say that "Wrong is Right (the title included) resonates with George Orwell's black comic novel 1984." [See also Nineteen Eighty-Four.]

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Goofs

(at around 1 min) The design of the suitcase bombs is shown to President Lockwood. The bombs are said to contain plutonium, but the design shown fits the uranium bomb (the cannon design), not plutonium bomb (the fission sphere design) - a very distinctive difference President's aides should know.

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Crazy Credits

Filmed in New York, Washington, D.C., Texas, New Mexico, France, Italy and Hagreb. [Hagreb is a fictional country featured in the movie, and France and Italy appear only in archive footage.]

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Connections

References The Alamo (1960)

User Reviews

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.