(An updated repost from June 29, 2019)

“Wrong is Right” (1982) is an alarmingly prescient political satire directed by Richard Brooks and based on the novel ”The Better Angels” by Charles McCarry. Sean Connery stars as Patrick Hale, a popular television journalist who becomes entangled in a conspiracy after an assignment in the Middle East to interview a patriarch of a royal family. Powerful factions involved include the American president (George Grizzard), a high-powered arms dealer, the CIA, a rising right-wing populist presidential contender, a terrorist group and various military/corporate interests who collectively ignite a geopolitical powder keg.

Key to enjoying this Strangelovian comedy is to look past the obvious budgetary constraints or view them as metacommentary on the often flimsy narratives manufactured by the figures and institutions which happen to be the main targets of the film’s satire. Despite the inconsistent acting from the large and varied cast, Wrong is Right is notable for Sean Connery’s greatest underrated performance and a brief but chilling cameo by a young Jennifer Jason Leigh four minutes into the film. Also noteworthy is the acerbic rapidfire dialogue and labyrinthine plot which plays like a mash-up of the decades since the film’s release to our current moment processed through a fever dream.

Watch Wrong is Right on Tubi here: https://tubitv.com/movies/690775/wrong-is-right