"Wrong is RIght" is a film that does seem to predict, in an odd way, the United States' involvement in the Middle East over the last two decades. For this reason, it's well worth seeing. However, the film has a problem....it doesn't seem to know if it's a comedy or an insightful drama.

The film stars Sean Connery as an investigative reporter who is generally more concerned with ratings and sensationalism than anything else. His job takes him to some fictional land in the Middle East and his travels put him in contact with a leader of one of these countries as well as an infamous terrorist leader. What he doesn't anticipate is thatt these two would forge an alliance...and buy nuclear weapons to spread terror against the United States. In addition, as he's useful to both sides, soon CIA, FBI and even the US President seek his coverage. What's next? See the film.

Some of the film is great....but it's undone with a few cartoonish characters, such as the nuke-crazy General Wombat (now THAT'S a stupid name) and a few cartoony moments. They also had no idea how grenades work...and they were more like cartoon grenades! This is sad, as so much of the film is brilliant and insightful...but it seemed pretty obvious the filmmakers weren't sure that sort of movie they were making. With a bit of editing, this could have been an exceptional film.

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.

WRONG IS RIGHT was not marketed right when it came out in 1982 and was due to fail. The movie ad tag lines called it "Dr. Strangelove for the 80's," which was a lame attempt to encapsulate a dark comedy by referring to another classic dark comedy, which also dealt with nuclear bombs. I think people were put off by that and because it was two years after the Iranian Hostage Crisis, people didn't want a dark comedy about the Middle East. I loved it in 1982, I love it even more today, because in large part, it was right, wrong is right was right.

HOWEVER, it predicted so much of what has happened in the world since, that it is so prophetic as to be scary. I won't say anything from the movie, but if you watch it and realize when it was made, it's incredible and shows the true genius of those who made it.

Sean Connery leads a cast which is superb.

You have to remember, this was before CNN became the go to news channel.

Enjoy.