20 Movies That Will Remind You That the Government Can’t Be Trusted
Governments lie. They are deceiving. They steal. Sometimes the guilt comes from within: corrupt people who tricked their way into the halls of power with no moral compass other than their own self-aggrandizement. Sometimes the fault lies with 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 are looming in films about government corruption, even in later films. It’s not that no one trusted the government before, but it was an era when anti-government sentiment really entered the zeitgeist. Then, as now, people could not agree on much, but they could agree that political leaders cannot be trusted. From there, the 80s saw the Iran-Contra, the 90s the impeachment of Clinton, the 00s the war in Iraq – and these are just high-profile scandals.
The less said about the modern era of politics, perhaps the better. But we may find it useful to go back a little and/or abroad to find films that portray a grim picture of government corruption.