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 gets involved into a strange and dangerous deal, a 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 mysteries in the sudden deaths of an 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 a 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 a larger audience. Its comedy moments aren't too funny, and his thriller scenes has a 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 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, invading 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 in 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 an 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 are 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.
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 mysteries in the sudden deaths of an 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 a 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 a larger audience. Its comedy moments aren't too funny, and his thriller scenes has a 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 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, invading 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 in 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 an 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 are 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.