20 Movies That Will Remind You That the Government Can’t Be Trusted
Governments lie. They are deceiving. They steal. Sometimes the blame comes from within: corrupt people who have tricked their way into the corridors of power with no moral compass other than their own self-aggrandizement. Sometimes the fault lies within ourselves: we are drawn to populist politicians who tell us what we want to hear, even when we should know better.
The 1970s in particular loom large in films about government corruption, even in later films. It’s not that no one used to trust the government, but this is an era where anti-government sentiment has really entered the zeitgeist. Then, as now, people could not agree on much, but they could agree that political leaders could not be trusted. Since then, Iran-Contra happened in the 80s, the Clinton impeachment in the 90s, the Iraq War in the 2000s, and these are just the biggest scandals.
The less said about the modern era of politics, the better. But we might find it useful to go back a little in time and/or abroad to find films that hold a harsh mirror to government corruption.
Seven Days in May (1964)
In John Frankenheimer’s sequel to The Manchurian Candidate, President Fredric March works toward a nuclear disarmament agreement with the Soviet Union, which leaves the popular general played by Burt Lancaster unimpressed. He is planning a coup, which was revealed by Kirk Douglas during the game’s seven days. It’s another insightful look at how personal charisma and military power can exert undue influence on American politics. You can rent “Seven Days in May” from Prime Video.
Conversation (1974)
The Conversation isn’t about Watergate or Vietnam, but it, like every other film, speaks to the well-earned political paranoia of the era. Gene Hackman (never better than he is here) plays surveillance expert Harry Caul, who is already becoming desperately paranoid when he overhears a conversation he shouldn’t have about a potential murder. Although the film is ostensibly about private peccadilloes, it was released the same year as Richard Nixon’s resignation (fueled by his own White House recordings) and is a prophecy of rising levels of surveillance, but also deeply controversial. Harry has good intentions and there is clearly value to his work, but there are also very obvious privacy issues, as well as the potential for situations and entire lives to be misinterpreted based on snippets of information taken out of context. There’s nothing touched upon here that we haven’t still encountered, more than 50 years later. You can stream The Conversation on Paramount+ and The Criterion Channel, or rent it from Prime Video .
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
If you only know Mayberry’s Andy Griffith, get ready for his greatest performance yet, as chilling as it is prophetic. Here he plays Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes, an alcoholic drifter whose simple-minded humor and guitar skills earn him a radio contract with the help of journalist Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal), who becomes his promoter and girlfriend. All this eventually leads him into the world of politics, where Jeffries discovers too late that she has created a monster. If you can imagine a politician telling his supporters whatever they want to hear and mocking them behind their backs, you might even say that the rise of populist Larry Rhodes heralds the era of Donald Trump. You can stream A Face in the Crowd on The Criterion Channel or rent it on Prime Video .
Parallax View (1974)
Set smack in the middle of the Vietnam War and sandwiched between the 1960s assassinations and Watergate, director Alan J. Pakula has created a masterpiece of political paranoia that conveys a sense of mounting dread with every noir-inspired frame. Warren Beatty plays Joseph Frady, a journalist who becomes embroiled in an incredibly complex conspiracy after witnessing the assassination of a sitting senator and presidential candidate. There’s a lot more going on than simple murder, but Freddy’s quest for the truth is more than simple heroism; Unfortunately, the film’s thriller storyline masks an incredibly complex world with no easy answers. In a broken and corrupt system, even the best intentions can make things much worse. You can rent The Parallax View from Prime Video .
Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
What became Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove began life as a drama: based on the thriller novel Red Alert , Kubrick originally intended to play it straight. However, he wasn’t very far into the writing process when the director realized that real-life concepts like the nuclear “balance of terror” and “mutually assured destruction” were better suited to farce than serious drama. The result was one of cinema’s most accomplished parodies of government abuses, personal politics and behind-the-scenes infighting that often had devastating consequences for people without the privilege of their own quiet war rooms. You can rent Dr. Strangelove from Prime Video .
All the President’s Men (1976)
The Nixon administration fueled the cinematic paranoia of the 1970s, and thankfully, one of the best thrillers of the decade is based on the true story of what happened when a pair of intrepid Washington Post reporters (played here by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) began investigating the seemingly , a harmless burglary at Washington’s Watergate complex. An investigation that included secret tapes, slush funds and a secret informant known for decades only as “Deep Throat” uncovered a criminal cover-up linked to the president himself. A funny throwback to a time when we were worried about such things. You can rent All the President’s Men from Prime Video .
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Inspired by the paranoid thrillers of the 1970s, the Russo brothers (and company) created a Marvel film in the same vein. Disney’s heroes typically fight to uphold rather than destroy the status quo, which is why The Winter Soldier is all the more impressive when it sees Cap as a criminal. While working for the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve uncovers a massive government conspiracy (Hail Hydra!) involving Cabinet Secretary Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) that puts him on the wrong side of the law. Even before it’s over, he’s being hunted for learning about a secret surveillance operation connected to Marvel’s version of Operation Paperclip, a real-life program that smuggled German scientists (including Nazis) into the United States. Great Marvel movie or best Marvel movie? You can stream The Winter Soldier on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Capricorn One (1977)
What sounds like a sci-fi action movie about the first manned mission to Mars quickly turns out to be something else entirely: a conspiracy theory born of Watergate but linked, albeit unintentionally, to conspiracies denying the moon landing. The film stars Sam Waterston, James Brolin, Elliott Gould, Brenda Vaccaro and O.J. Simpson starring the Mars crew called off the mission at the last minute – it seems like the government wants the boost that a successful mission would provide, but isn’t at all sure they’ll actually do it. The empty ship is launched, the crew essentially become hostages, and when the capsule explodes upon returning to Earth, it quickly becomes clear that anyone who knows the truth must be destroyed. You can stream Capricorn One on Tubi, Prime Video , Peacock and Freevee .
Wag the Dog (1997)
Shortly before Bill Clinton’s impeachment (and the suspiciously timed bombing in Iraq), and a few years before the Iraq War’s themes and obfuscation, Barry Levinson made a star- studded Strangelove -style satire about a Hollywood producer tasked with creating a fake. war with Albania to cover up a presidential sex scandal. Even though it’s a dark comedy, the film’s plot isn’t the dumbest reason we went to war—by any means. You can rent Wag the Dog from Prime Video .
Inside Men (2015)
Korean filmmakers working in film and television have had no trouble exploring both the excesses of capitalism and government corruption—perhaps part of the appeal for American audiences saddled with the increasingly status quo-friendly hegemony of Disney and Marvel. Here, writer/director Woo Min-ho manages to capitalize on the story of a rising presidential candidate who only makes it this far because a conservative newspaper and its biggest donor want him for the top job (major media colludes with candidates to influence elections – who would have thought?). Corrupt ties between corporate media and political candidates are a problem that is hardly limited to the Korean Peninsula. You can stream Inside Men on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Enemy of the State (1998)
It has been suggested that Brill Lyle, Gene Hackman’s character in Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State , is so close in temperament to Harry Caul from The Conversation that they may well be the same character. It’s interesting, especially since it ends Hackman’s long run of political thrillers, but they’re also very different films. It’s everything The Talk is not: big, loud, flashy, and more interested in action than in saying anything coherent about surveillance. That’s not to say it wasn’t a lot of fun, with plenty of heightened X-Files- esque political paranoia that was soon to give way to real-life events. Will Smith plays well-intentioned lawyer Robert Clayton Dean, who becomes embroiled in a wild conspiracy after the government-sponsored murder of a political candidate. You can rent Enemy of the State from Prime Video .
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
A stylish and dynamic genre mash-up, They Cloned Tyrone spins a lot of plates and mostly manages to keep them from crashing. John Bodega plays Fontaine, a drug dealer in a world this side of ours (there’s definitely some Blaxsploitation influence in the clothing styles). After a run-in with former pimp of the year, Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine is shot and then wakes up in his bed with apparently nothing changed. Teaming up with Slick Charles and sex worker Yo Yo (Teyonah Parris), he leads the three into an unlikely web of government conspiracy led by Keifer Sutherland’s man appropriately named “Nixon” that involves taking advantage of poor black men (think real-life Tuskegee Experiment) as test subjects. You can watch They Cloned Tyrone onNetflix .
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
A relatively early masterpiece from director John Frankenheimer, the film became a victim of its own tragic prophecy: released just a year before President Kennedy’s assassination, the real-life event overtook the film, and interest in re-watching it waned until a critical reappraisal took place. decades later. On one hand, the film is a Cold War thriller about a Medal of Honor recipient who is brainwashed to serve as a communist agent. If that were all, it would be nothing more than a period piece; Instead, Frankenheimer and company take aim at the ways in which Americans are easily manipulated and distracted – Lawrence Harvey’s Raymond Shaw is able to go so far because people are blinded by his military achievements. Meanwhile, Joseph McCarthy-style demagogues use accusations to distract from the real danger. It also boasts an absolutely terrifying performance from Angela Lansbury as Shaw’s scheming and slightly incestuous mother. You can rent The Manchurian Candidate from Prime Video .
Miss Evers’ Boys (1997)
The conspiracy surrounding the real-life Tuskegee Experiment continues to this day, as debate about the 40-year government medical study in which poor black men were used as unsuspecting test subjects remains minimal. By the end, hundreds of people had been deceived about treatments and health conditions, and more than 100 people had died as a result of obviously ineffective treatments, all in the name of medical research into syphilis. The film tells the story from the perspective of nurse Eunice Evers (Alfre Woodard), based on the real-life pioneer nurse who became one of the first African Americans hired by the U.S. Public Health Service, only to find herself in the role of co-creator. You can stream Miss Evers’ Boys on Max .
They Live (1988)
In John Carpenter’s brilliant and brutal satire of American-style commercialism-capitalism, a drifter (Roddy Piper) discovers through a pair of sunglasses that the world as we know it is a façade, ruled by a ruling class that hides subliminal messages everywhere: messages like consume , breed, adapt . You know, the things we’re really good at. Knowing the truth about the main conspiracy, our muscular protagonist is not going to give up without a fight. You can rent They Live on Prime Video .
Z (1969)
It’s the ending that makes Z so darkly memorable, but that doesn’t mean the film isn’t a classic through and through. Costa-Gavras’s satire of government corruption was released in the middle of a period of military junta control in Greece, as well as a global period of political assassinations and wars under false pretenses. A magistrate investigates the political murder of a left-wing politician, only to encounter an increasingly absurd, but nonetheless believable series of walls and obfuscations. You can stream Z on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video .
The X-Files (1998)
The overarching mythology of The X-Files was always too broad to ever amount to anything coherent; it’s also hard to get too excited about secret alien colonists (or anything else) when the real world poses much more immediate threats. However, there is no doubt that the series and its spin-offs exemplify the ’90s style of anti-government paranoia, where political officials are presented as competent, driven and visionary enough to manage any number of conspiracies throughout the year. decades. What The X-Files , and this film in particular, turned out to be surprisingly prescient is its imaginary world of conspiracies in which everyone wants to believe in everything, all the time. Standing on its own, the first film rather cleverly summarizes the experience of The X-Files , where government agents cover up the existence of an ancient alien virus with the help of some nasty bees. The most memorable stupid moment is when Martin Landau reveals the truth about “FEMA is a secret government!” has evolved over the decades into a bona fide conspiracy theory, because of course it is. You can rent The X-Files (sometimes subtitled “Fight for the Future “) from Prime Video .
Cabin in the Woods (2011)
We know cabin-in-the-woods horror movies and we know how they’re supposed to work. So while The Cabin in the Woods initially looks like a Scream- style deconstruction of the genre, it quickly reveals itself to be something much more ambitious, veering from near-parody to apocalyptic stakes. A pair of slightly clueless government agents keep an eye on everything that happens to our agitated and hunted tourists, each of whom ends up being part of a murderous global conspiracy – at least those who survive. You can stream The Cabin in the Woods on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Dick (1999)
A very silly but nonetheless surprisingly smart comedy about two big-hearted teenage friends who might not be the brightest (think ’70s-era Romy and Michele), Dick stars Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams as deeply naive county residents Colombia who find themselves in a confusing situation. in the events surrounding the Watergate break-in. At first they were charmed by President Nixon (perfectly cast by Dan Hedaya), but gradually they began to realize that he was not the well-meaning charmer they had taken him for; their revenge brings deep satisfaction. It’s often funny, but it also serves as a pretty compelling metaphor for the decline we face as a nation and as individuals when our political hopes are dashed. It’s a reminder not to get too attached, and in my opinion, the nicest Watergate movie you’re likely to find. You can rent Dick from Prime Video .
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
An excellent paranoid thriller if you’re willing to put your faith in Robert Redford’s nerdy performance. Here he plays a bookish CIA analyst codenamed Condor who comes to work one day to find everyone in his office murdered. Their analysis of a thriller novel with real-world implications seems to be getting close. The ensuing game of cat and mouse leads Condor into the heart of a government conspiracy involving the world’s oil supply – Americans are expected to tolerate literally anything in the name of cheap gas. And where is the lie? You can stream Three Days of the Condor on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video .