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 television newsman ... 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 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:

nuclear weapon | terrorist | terrorist group | satire | politics | 

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Taglines:

Patrick Hale was invented for television. He's a superstar TV reporter whose special news broadcasts reach a billion people every day. And in the past ten hours, he has uncovered the most incredible story of his career. The bad news is: it involves the President, Vice-President, Director of the CIA, a trigger-happy general, an Arab terrorist, a European arms dealer, religious fanatics, and the result may be World War III. The good news is: his ratings are going through the roof.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Man with the Deadly Lens

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,412,646, 16 May 1982, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$3,379,569

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation,Rastar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two actors who have played James Bond, Sir Roger Moore and Sir Sean Connery, have starred in comedy movies featuring arms dealing, they being That Lucky Touch (1975) and this movie, respectively.

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Goofs

Obvious stunt double in place of Sean Connery in the opening skydiving sequence.

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Quotes

Patrick Hale: You call that news? We peddle disaster! And violence, it's commercial! Blood and tears and football and cheers. Performers, superstars. Get them on, get them off. Next, next, fast, fast! We're in the entertainment business. There's nothing wrong with that... if you call it that.

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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 Apocalypse Now (1979)

User Reviews

Deserves a thumbs-up 20 years later.

I agree with the positive reviews others have posted. I won't spoil anything for those who have not seen it, but the film is disturbingly accurate to the reality of the past few years (circa 2004). Wrong Is Right is a black comedy and an excellent work of science fiction. The credit goes to Richard Brooks as well as original author Charles McCarry. Based on McCarry's 1979 novel "The Better Angels", Wrong Is Right takes a comedic twist, and touches on topics few could have easily digested during the Reagan Presidency of 1982.

The plot revolves around globetrotting news-hound Patrick Hale (Sean Connery), who uncovers a major international crisis, and must contend with a sinister President, the CIA, and international terrorists. The original intent of director Richard Brooks was to illustrate how technology could bring TV news closer to the truth, and exploit it for ratings. Taking essential cues from the novel, Mr. Brooks leads the viewer into a hazy world in which technology and television manipulate reality for personal gains. The movie accurately predicts the rise of cable and satellite TV. It nails the what-ifs of a media outlet (Fox Broadcasting/Fox News Channel come to mind). And it's an early look at how computers and modern technology affect society. The big clincher is that the movie literally provides a twisted take on the Bush Administration - I kid you not.

Remember, this movie was made during the Cold War. No one worried about America fighting anyone else but the Soviet Union. Cable television, while gaining steam, was nowhere near as engrossing or developed as it is today. And no one in America cared about suicide bombers. Do yourself a favor and rent or purchase the video/DVD. Enjoy the movie for the spectacle it is. And realize what was science fiction years before is now a freakish parody of today.

The acting, the pacing, and the writing are good to great, considering the topic. It gets funnier as the film finishes. Just remember, the cast and crew were on eggshells, as the film itself is groundbreaking. It is a political satire predating its subject matter. And for another generation, it becomes far more familiar and timely than Dr. Strangelove.