As in the book, dishonest bureaucrats sell to gullible voters “The Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule” and “The Equalization of Opportunity Bill” as altruistic pieces of legislation designed to even things out but which actually make things much worse. Those who back big labor unions and agitate for government handouts, bailouts and intervention are society’s moochers.
The movie is set in 2016 as oil spills, pirates, high gas prices and a bad economy dominate headlines. The bad guys talk of “social progress” and businesses being made to “lend a helping hand.” One hero, in contrast, describes himself as “someone who knows what it’s like to work for himself and not let others feed off the profits of his energy.”
Lots of Americans might agree: A 1991 survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club determined that Atlas Shrugged was the second-most-influential book in history behind the Bible.
Rand’s heir Leonard Peikoff lost faith in the filmmakers over 19 years and said through a colleague that he fears the film doesn’t sufficiently reflect Rand’s philosophy.