Review of Wag the Dog (1997) by Raz C — 17 Nov 2007

There's so many things in this movie that seem on par with reality its scary. I feel like its more a documentary than a narrative film. There's no question as to whether this film is plausible or not. All of the technology needed to execute everything it depicts is in place and has been for some time. Physically, all of what it suggests could happen. It could be happening. The only real question is whether the ethics of the political and media machines are above doing it or not.

This film takes that question and suggests what its answer might be. What comes out is a scathing commentary presented as the blackest of comedies. And it is very, very black. It succeeds though because it's strong on all fronts. The script, written by David Mamet and Hilary Henkin, is excellent. It's alive with wit. There are plenty of great opportunities for anyone with good timing, comic or dramatic, to make full use of them.

Director Barry Levinson took full advantage of that. His sense of pacing is exceptional. The film never becomes bogged down. When the pace does slow for an instant now and then it serves as an opportunity for the viewer to absorb what they've seen. His sense of timing is excellent because the gags, though they're expected, always seem to come from nowhere. The editing, done by Stu Linder, is superb. If Levinson's timing was off anywhere Linder's editing corrected it.

There really isn't a weak performance in this film but a few are so strong they have to be singled out. Woody Harrelson is in excellent form as the maniac-made-hero, "Old Shoe". Anne Heche gives a tour de force as the White House Press Agent who suddenly discovers the "other side" of her job. Robert De Niro is entirely convincing as the conniving manipulative spin master whose sole purpose is to see that only the "right" news items stay in the spotlight. The film belongs to Dustin Hoffman though. Next to his role in the Rain Man this is one of the best things I've seen him do. His ability to get right inside a character is still astonishing. His character, the vain and eccentric producer who pulls jewels from sewage, is the most likeable character in the film. That point serves to drive the grimmer side of the message this film is giving home.

Wag the Dog is a film that addresses what has to be a touchy subject for a lot of people. It probably won't please a really large audience because of that. I don't know. I have no idea as to how well (or poorly) the film did at the box office. It's a film that should be seen though. The comment it makes isn't so much as to whether the political establishment is morally bankrupt or not but rather about how easily it would be for it to manipulate (or manufacture) facts if it is. It does it in a way that's consistently funny and it never loses sight of the point it's trying to make.

There are some excellent notes provided in the "special features" section of the DVD. They provide a bit of history as to how Hollywood has been used as a "spin machine" to manipulate propoganda on behalf of what government wanted. Anyone taking the time to watch this film should read them. They provide plenty of incentive to view this film in a serious light.