Wag the Dog provides some solid laughs and most importantly top notch performances by Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. While the outrageous parts of the film feel satirical and can be quite funny, the parts that you see all around you in the current political climate can make you laugh a little less than you would 30 years ago. Still, a solid release by Warner Archive Collection bringing this to Blu-ray. Definitely worth picking up if you're in any way a fan of these actors. This one is out now.
“Two weeks before re-election, the President of the United States (Michael Belson) is accused of accosting a girl scout. Before the news reaches the media, his advisors call in political spin-master Conrad “Connie” Brean (Robert De Niro) specializing in image rescues. What to do? Hire Hollywood producer Stanley Motts (Dustin Hoffman) to create a war – distracting public attention from the scandal and rallying Americans to their President in a surge of patriotic fervor. From acclaimed director Barry Levinson, and writers Hillary Henkin and David Mamet, comes this biting and prescient look at American politics and its relationships with the media.”
Wag the Dog (1997), directed by Barry Levinson from a screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet (loosely based on Larry Beinhart’s novel American Hero), is a political satire about the manufacture of reality, something that doesn’t seem as far-fetched today as it was then. With the president facing a devastating sex scandal days before the election, fixer Conrad Brean recruits Hollywood producer Stanley Motss to create a fake war in Albania. Fake footage, a theme song, a photogenic “orphan,” and later a manufactured war hero keep the media occupied while the real story is buried. The ruse grows more elaborate, and darker, as the team struggles to keep the illusion intact.
Levinson’s has an impressive and eclectic filmography that ranges from Diner, to Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers, and the Oscar-winning Rain Man. Wag the Dog continues to hold a different spot among his films, one that on the surface seems to be a parody of the political landscape in our country, but continues to prove time and time again to be closer to the truth than you may think.
Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman are superb, and their on-screen chemistry is what makes this film. Their rapid-fire exchanges and contrasting character types give the satire its energy and its unexpected warmth. Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, and a superb supporting cast also provide amazing talent to the film.
What once played as outrageous black-comedy now lands with surprising familiarity. The idea that a political party would fabricate a crisis, stage-manage media coverage, and treat public attention as a product to be manufactured seemed like dark comedy in 1997. In the current climate of nonstop spin, viral narratives, and the blurring of news and spectacle, the film’s tactics no longer feel like exaggeration. That shift is what makes Wag the Dog more than a comedy of the 90s, it’s a comedy that grew into a warning.
Video
Warner Archive’s Blu-ray features a new 2026 1080p High Definition master created from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The 1.85:1 image is sharp and clean, with natural color and solid contrast that provide a solid picture.
Audio
Audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Dialogue is clear and well-balanced, with the mix supporting the normal dialogue moments with the fabricated war-torn battlefields on-screen.
Special Features
- Featurette From Washington to Hollywood.
- Audio commentary by Barry Levinson and Dustin Hoffman
- Q&A Macy on Mamet
- Original theatrical trailer
Wag the Dog on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection is a welcome upgrade for a satire that has only grown more relevant. De Niro and Hoffman’s chemistry, Levinson’s sure hand, and a premise that no longer seems safely absurd make it essential viewing. Highly recommended.
AV Entertainment provided us with a copy of this disc for review, which if interested, you can pre-purchase here.
