For years, Wile E. Coyote has utilized various contraptions in his relentless pursuit of the Road Runner, all ending in failure.
However, what if his constant defeats are not due to his own incompetence but rather the fault of the Acme Corporation? What if the company responsible for gadgets like the “Instant Tunnel” and the “Do-It-Yourself Tornado Kit” simply produces subpar products?
This forms the basis of the movie Coyote vs. Acme, where our unlucky protagonist enlists a less-than-competent lawyer to sue the Acme Corporation for the physical pain he has endured from using their items.
After a convoluted journey, the film is set to premiere in theaters on Friday. Originally completed in 2023, it was shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery as a tax write-off but was later resurrected when independent distributor Ketchup Entertainment acquired the rights last year.
To honor the movie’s theme, we have compiled a list of our favorite anti-capitalist films from the past four decades.
RoboCop (1987)
In Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop, we are presented with a once-farfetched concept that now feels eerily plausible. The film depicts a near future where a corporation named Omni Consumer Products essentially controls the operations of the Detroit police force. The central figure is RoboCop, a man-machine hybrid portrayed with a touch of sarcasm by Peter Weller, who uncovers the ruthless tactics of Omni executive Dick Jones in his pursuit of corporate success. The catch: RoboCop is programmed not to harm Omni executives.
Memorable quote: “What did you think? That you were an ordinary police officer? You’re our product, and we can’t very well have our products turning against us, can we?”
They Live (1988)
John Carpenter’s iconic science fiction film follows a working-class individual, played by Roddy Piper, who discovers special sunglasses revealing that aliens are masquerading as humans. These extraterrestrials use subliminal messages to encourage consumption and conformity, all while exploiting the planet’s resources.
Memorable quote: “They’re free-enterprisers. The Earth is just another developing planet. Their third world.”
Fight Club (1999)
Considered a spiritual successor to They Live, Fight Club challenges the societal pressure to constantly consume. The film follows the journey of an unnamed protagonist, portrayed by Edward Norton, who meets Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, and together they form an underground fight club as a rebellion against consumer culture. Their actions escalate into anti-capitalist acts, culminating in a dramatic display of defiance.
Memorable quote: “The things you own end up owning you.”
Michael Clayton (2007)
Starring George Clooney, Michael Clayton exposes the lengths to which corporations will go to conceal their wrongdoing. Clooney’s character is a “fixer” enlisted to aid a law firm representing U-North, a defendant in a massive lawsuit over a deadly pesticide. One chilling scene involves the silent elimination of a lawyer holding incriminating evidence against U-North.
Memorable quote: “Not only is this a great product, it is a superb cancer delivery system.”
WALL-E (2008)
In WALL-E, an animated film with a critical message, society’s