| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | WAG THE DOG (1997) |
| Director | Barry Levinson |
| Writer | Larry Beinhart, Hilary Henkin, David Mamet |
| Lead Actor | Dustin Hoffman |
| Cast | Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama |
| Release Date | January 9, 1998 (United States) |
| Duration | 1h 37m(97 min) |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Language | English |
| IMDB Rating | 7.1/10 |
WATCH NOW
Fictional White House advisers try to save the president from the disaster of a preelection sex scandal by creating a diversionary war with an unimportant country (Albania). The idea is that the war news will rally support and drive the scandal out of the public consciousness until after the election.
They don’t stir up a real war just a staged media illusion. Nobody could really do that we hope but the nonsense has just enough credibility to make you gulp as well as laugh. In a world of digital graphics and computer wizardry, seeing is no longer believing.
The central figures are Robert De Niro as the brainy campaign mastermind, and (especially) Dustin Hoffman as Stanley, the flamboyant movie producer who provides the “talent” (actors, composers, special effects).
Stanley gleefully directs the plan with stunning success, although there are hilarious setbacks. For example, Woody Harrelson plays a military rapist convict mistakenly chosen to be the “war hero.”
Although Wag is almost painfully on target (how easily images and music are created to spike the emotions), it’s also too cynical. The public is just not as dumb as its lowest common denominator. The film also obviously misjudges the scope of the media madness in such a crisis and (as we’ve seen) the public’s loyalty to an otherwise effective president with personal flaws. Close but not too close for comfort; satisfactory for adults.
To watch more movies like WAG THE DOG (1997) visit Fmovies.
Also watch