The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

 John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate"

In the first thirty minutes of John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate," I was instantly turned off by the perceived propagandic nature of the film. After a decade of McCarthyism, it seemed very politically motivated to suggest that Communist China hypnotized American troops to act as puppets for their attacks on American political figures. However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that the perspective is a little more balanced than I was anticipating.

Aside from the more ridiculous plotline I just mentioned, the film reveals that the 'anti-Communist' political movement is using Communist fear (the "Red Scare") to motivate and manipulate Americans. It directly mocks McCarthyism as a scare tactic and illustrates the paranoia and fear of the time of its release. Its release was extremely timely, given that the Cuban Missile Crisis was happening that very week. 

Despite some silliness in its execution, like eye-rolling fight scenes and the absurdity to some of its sensational plot points, "The Manchurian Candidate" is a great encapsulation and summation of a time in American history when fear and finger-pointing were at an all-time high.