Wrong Is Right (1982)

A TV reporter finds himself in the middle of an Arab leader buying two portable nukes, terrorists, arms dealer, a reporter/CIA spy killed, a US president ordering a K-I-L-L etc.

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 television newsman Patrick Hale on an international chase to track them down, and uncover the twisting maze of apparent involvement of U.S. Government agencies.

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Plot Keywords:

president | vice president | the white house | twin towers | world trade center | 

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Taglines:

In a moment World War III... but first a word from our sponsor.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two movies in which Sir Sean Connery starred that were released in 1982. The other being Five Days One Summer (1982).

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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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Quotes

Philindros: I'll disarm the other bomb.
Patrick Hale: Just in the nick of time.
Philindros: Yep.
Patrick Hale: Convenient.
Philindros: Oh, I'd say lucky.
Patrick Hale: I thought for a while, the CIA had... arranged the suitcases. Like King Awad's suicide.
Philindros: Mr. Hale, we only try to do what's right.
Patrick Hale: Even when it's wrong?
Philindros: If it's good for America, it can't be wrong. Right?
Patrick Hale: What's next?
[...]

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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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Alternate Versions

The UK video release versions entitled "The Man with the Deadly Lens" were cut first by 2 seconds, then re-released cut by 7 seconds to reduce footage of a bomb being made from a light bulb. However, the DVD released in 2004 entitled "Wrong is Right" is uncut.

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Connections

Spoofs Goldfinger (1964)

User Reviews

An Uneven, Low-Budget, All Star Cast But Uncanny Perceptive Political Black Comedy

24 July 2013. This uneven, obviously low-budgeted, all star cast political black drama is a difficult movie to assess because it depends strongly on what criteria one uses to judge a movie. From a current political messaging drama, it is uncanny in its authenticity even more than 30 years later. It remains relevant in terms of how oil and America's intelligence agency, the Presidency, and media manipulation all combine to echo what is happening in the world of 2013.

However in terms of special effects the movie presents some of the worst, obviously made up explosions and physical destruction resembling what might have been standard fare for cheap live action cartoons on Saturday mornings 30 years ago. The movie is overly ambitious, not well balanced tone-wise, sometimes presenting itself as a serious political drama and then at other times a light witty comedy, but overall the movie presents an uncertain directorial handling.

The old all star cast was fun to watch, the storyline somehow managed to hang together. Yet the unevenness and tone were more successfully handled in John Cusack's political drama in War, Inc. (2008).

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wrong Is Right

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,412,646, 16 May 1982

Gross USA:

$3,583,513

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,583,513

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Rastar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1