10 Greatest Movies About American Politics

Barry Levinson’s dark comedy is a film of its time. The 1997 movie depicts a political influencer and a Hollywood producer hired to distract public attention from a presidential sex scandal by way of a made up war. Produced at the midpoint of the Clinton era and sandwiched between two middle Eastern conflicts, the eventful mid-nineties inform much of the story and cynical outlook.

Nowadays, though, in an era of fake news and current events that come so thick and fast you can’t keep up with leaders’ latest improprieties, it feels more relevant than ever. It feels simultaneously like smart but whacky satire, and something clipped wholesale from the headlines.

The source novel is even more on the nose, with George Bush and the actual Gulf war in place of the film’s fiction, but Levinson’s approach gives the movie’s plot a more timeless feel.

With great performances from Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman in the lead roles, Wag The Dog stands up as a sleight but ingenious hit. When it comes to American political figures, shooting low is always a safe bet.