For King and Con

London, 1914.

Horatio Bottomley, a bombastic self-made publisher, orator, and politician, builds an empire selling patriotism, war bonds, and himself.

As the First World War rages, Bottomley becomes “The People's Patriot,” stirring public emotion with fiery speeches and newspaper propaganda. Behind the scenes, his lavish lifestyle, gambling debts, and fraudulent financial schemes spiral out of control.

When a young journalist begins investigating him, Bottomley doubles down — manipulating public sentiment, reinventing himself as a martyr of the common man. But his empire of lies begins to collapse under its own weight, culminating in a tragicomic downfall that mirrors the nation’s fading imperial confidence.

It’s a film based on the real life story about spin, spectacle, and the invention of political populism — long before modern media made it mainstream.