Wag the Dog

100647 / G / US / 1997 / Levinson, Barry / / political satire
Wag the Dog / Häntä heiluttaa koiraa. © New Line Productions. P: Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro, Barry Levinson. D: Barry Levinson. SC: Hilary Henkin, David Mamet - based on the novel American Hero by Larry Beinhart. DP: Robert Richardson. M: Mark Knopfler. CAST: Dustin Hoffman (Stanley Motss), Robert De Niro (Conrad Brean), Anne Heche (Winifred Ames), Woody Harrelson (Sgt. William Schumann), Denis Leary (Fad King), Willie Nelson (Johnny Green). 97’. 1,85. MPAA 35158. R = 17. DIST: Warner Bros. Finland. Viewed in Helsinki, VET, Monday 9 March 1998. **** Brilliant political satire about media wizards who can manage any situation when the President’s reputation is at stake. It is 11 days to the election, and the President has been implicated in an intimate encounter with a Girl Scout. The President’s spin doctor (De Niro) hires a major Hollywood producer (Hoffman) to manage an international crisis with Albania where the President has several opportunities to show off. The story is brisk and devilish, and the dialogue is so full of sharp jokes that one has to see the film a few more times to fully enjoy them.