Wrong Is Right (1982)

Simply A Masterpiece

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Times might be right for a critical reassessment of Wrong Is Right. Made during the Reagan era a lot of history has happened subsequently and Richard Brooks may have been a prophet just as Paddy Chayefsky was in Network. The topper may be the election of our current president.Sean Connery whose international stardom didn't quite guarantee the box office returns for Wrong Is Right that the producers hoped for plays a cynical newscaster an observer on the scene of some history making events.All starting with the spiritual revelations of Ron Moody playing the monarch of a desert middle eastern kingdom who gets some mystical revelations about starting a holy war. To do so he purchases a pair of suitcase nukes from arms dealer Hardy Kruger and makes alliance with a Mid Eastern terrorist Henry Silva.There's a presidential election involved as incumbent George Grizzard tries to show himself as tough as the office demands, especially those demands voiced by former President Leslie Nielsen who is trying to do a Grover Cleveland and return to the White House. The Twin Towers of New York actually play a role here so a faithful remake isn't possible. The end is right out of Duck Soup. Besides those mentioned I enjoyed Rosalind Cash as the Vice President, G.D. Spradlin as the harassed CIA head, and Robert Conrad with the Dickensian name of General Wombat.He and Connery share the climax in an ending superb and sublime.This one is a sleeper, check it out.

In Richard Brooks's "Wrong Is Right" technological advances made everything looks so different that even wrong things are right things. There's no heroes, no villains, no good guy and no bad guy, there's only situations and reactions to it. Here a famous reporter and adventurer named Patrick Hale (Sean Connery) has many news to cover but he got involved into a strange and dangerous deal, an conspiracy where Palestinian, Israelis, and Americans got in: the robbery of 2 nuclear weapons. The good thing: He's one of the guys (or at least that's the general idea we have of him after all some media reporters are impartial, always on the side of the public). In this conspiracy everything happens: an CIA female agent disguised as journalist was killed in a terrorist attack; the American president (George Grizzard) is on campaign trying his second term; crazy generals are trying to bring the nuclear devices back; and there's lots of mystery in the sudden deaths of a Arab king who hears voices; Patrick's chief (Robert Webber) is desperate for all kinds news because everything to him is about getting higher TV ratings; and other many characters and situations. This is satire film disguised as political thriller with some awkward comedy moments. It fires up in all directions and that's why I think this movie didn't reach an larger audience. It's comedy moments aren't too funny, and his thriller scenes has lack of fear or danger enough so that we can care about the characters. But his political views are very great, way ahead of its time, and many of the things portrayed here seems to be like a future's darker prophecy. In the end of 1970's and beginning of the 1980's many countries suffered with the Oil crisis, and Arab extremists started all kinds of terrorism exploding airplanes, Bomberman and stuff like that. Everything similar was showed here and more: by the end of the movie when the bombs are found in what place did the Americans found it? In the top of the World Trade Center! This film was released in 1982 way before of the attacks on the towers in 1993 and 2001 (relax, nothing happened with the towers in the movie). And all the consequences of the aftermath were repeated by George W. Bush, invade the country responsible for the threats or attacks (if you look with caution you might discover that Iraq/Afghanistan wars are mixed here in only one context, make the parallels). In this part the movie focuses on political views: If it's good to the country it's allowed (quote of some character about killing in the name of the country). There's more: Criticism of what is ethical or not on journalism can be seen (Connery makes a very good and ironical speech about paying a terrorist millions of dollars to make an exclusive interview). Sadly, by the time when all these critical and sharp visions appear on the screen it's too late for some viewers because director and writer Richard Brooks took too long to develop a story presenting so many characters and it's very confusing to go along the journey. But if you insist you might enjoy it. The only real funny things is: Connery's performance in some moments. His charismatic character is so enjoyable, charming and critical on the events surrounding him and someone with a good idea could make a TV show with him presenting the news in a intelligent and funny way better than this movie. He has some qualities that remind me of Waldo, the guy of that cartoon who travels around the world (Where's Waldo now?). By the way the whole cast is good (it includes names like Dean Stockwell, Leslie Nielsen, Katharine Ross, G.D.Spradlin, John Saxon, Jennifer Jason Leigh). The other funny thing is the visual effects, this was funny back in 1982 and it's even more funnier now. Every time I saw a Bomberman exploding on the attacks against the American president (there's lot of Bomberwoman here) I started to laugh because the explosions were so fake, nothing blast it off, it was ridiculous, pathetic, this special effects are so lame and corny that you laugh easily. As a comedy it doesn't work well, as a dramatic thriller there's some good enjoyable parts but its political-media-personal attacks work really well. Watch it if you can! 7/10

Some films are truly ahead of their time. The 1982 satire Wrong Is Right is such a film. Though deemed unbelievable when first released nearly three decades ago its satire of TV news being driven more by entertainment then facts, Islamic terrorists seeks nuclear weapons and international intrigue makes it even more relevant today. In short it's a satire for today from yesterday.The film features a fine cast. Sean Connery stars as Patrick Hale, a globe trotting TV reporter who uncovers the story of a life time. Connery shows off a considerable talent for doing black comedy throughout and comes across well as a cynical reporter who ends up virtually being the voice of reason towards the films end. George Grizzard (as the President), Rosalind Cash (as the Vice-Pesident), Robert Webber (as the CIA director) and Dean Stockwell (as the President's chief of staff) come across well as various government officials caught up in the crisis while in the midst of a presidential election. There's also Robert Conrad as the trigger happy General Wombat in charge of the counter terrorism task force in a performance perhaps a bit too reminiscent of George C. Scott in Doctor Strangelove. Facing off against them are the terrorists lead by Rafeeq (Henry Silva) and Leslie Nielsen as a proto-George W. Bush presidential candidate twenty years before the fact. That's not forgetting either Kathrine Ross as Sally Black or Hardy Kruger as a European arms dealer as both have small but important roles in the films. All together they make for a fine cast for this satire.It's the satire and script that really makes this film stand out. Inspired by or loosely based on. depending on your choice of phrase, Charles McCarry's 1979 novel The Better Angels which like the film was deemed unbelievable at the time it originally came out. But the film would prove to be eerily prophetic of the world more then two decades later. Terrorists blow up airplanes without warning, a wealthy Middle-Eastern nation seeks to buy nuclear weapons for terrorists and suicide bombers blow themselves up with no warning may have been unbelievable thirty years ago but are practically ripped from the headlines of today. Plus things such as Leslie Nielsen's presidential candidate Mallory who, as not just played by Nielsen but written as well, could easily be mistaken for a satire of George W. Bush if the film hadn't been made in the 1980's but sometime in the last ten years. Yet all the while the film plays not so much as a satire but as a thriller as Hale explores the worlds of his own TV companies bias, government conspiracies, election year politics and Islamic terrorism. But the film works because of its heavy topics rather then despite them because it exposes the sheer absurdities that lies at the heart of it all. While the technology and fashions are those of the early 1980's the film could easily have been released, as the opening of the film states, in the time between now and later.Armed with a fine cast and an excellent satire/thriller script, Wrong Is Right stands out nearly three decades after its original release. With its plot of TV news being driven more by entertainment then facts, Islamic terrorists seeks nuclear weapons and international intrigue it's hard to believe that a film from thirty years ago could speak so much more about the decades after it was originally released. But this film does and it would appear to have much more effect now then it has ever had. Wrong Is Right is a satire for today from nearly three decades.

The fact is the editing is what sunk this film, ultimately. I had always seen minor time gaps that bothered me, especially with Sean Connery in the lead. Leslie Neilson proves he can act without the Police Squad deadpan.That aside, I had to get this film off ebay on VHS to view it again. I'm glad to hear it finally hit DVD shelves. Except for a few bumps in the road, it's still time well spent.-----------------------SPOILER!!!---------------------------------I loved this film when I went to college in '88. Now it seems both a bit lame, but yet, very prophetic. Especially with war in the Middle East and a climax that takes place at the top of the World Trade Center!!!