Wag the Dog

An underrated cinematic gem about the workings of politics and media, not just in the United States. The screenplay is perfectly crafted with a great twist, sarcastic lines, precise casting, and flawless acting performances. It's hard to say whether Dustin Hoffman or Robert De Niro is better because both excel. Among the notable smaller roles, Anne Heche stands out as a political staffer and William H. Macy as a Secret Service agent ("There are two things I know to be true. There's no difference between good flan and bad flan, and there is no war."). This is a film with intelligent dialogue meant for thoughtful viewers. Overall impression: 95%. (22/04/2007)

This is what I call a timeless film. It will soon celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, but it’s still relevant today because Americans wag the dog quite often. The nuclear threat has become too much of a cliché, so now American heroes are forced to save the world by attacking countries in possession of chemical weapons (allegedly) and a very weak air force (definitely). The cast was star-studded, the screenplay was well-written, and it’s another proof that Leni Riefenstahl knew what she was doing – when it comes to propaganda, she still has followers. (17/01/2022)

A nice side piece by Levinson, put together in two weeks, and it's not even noticeable. It's great to watch and the theme of the film becomes more relevant in this time of the Iraq war. Albania or Iraq, it often works out the same. (11/05/2003)

What a bunch of nonsense! The film, which is meant to show how the government can manipulate public opinion through the media, tries to fool the viewer into thinking that it actually takes only three people to do this. Sure, it's satire, but it goes against sound logic and is absolutely toothless. With a few exceptions, the characters don't let anything out of their mouths that has any impact or wit. DeNiro and Hoffman are great but actually shoot blanks for ninety minutes. At least the film had potential at the time it was made; over the years it has lost even that. (27/05/2009)

A clever satire that ages like fine wine, never losing its relevance. This film was released over a decade before social media began to shape our world, elevating its themes to new heights. In this sense, Wag the Dog can be seen as a precursor to the massive influence of fake news on the general population. The movie delivers a series of bizarre moments that will definitely entertain you, but also send chills down your spine when you realize that all of it, no matter how far-fetched, is rooted in reality. There aren’t many brilliant and intelligent satirical films out there, but Wag the Dog is certainly one of them. (05/07/2018)