Jeffrey Wright is the new 'narrator voice'

Move over, Sam Elliott and Morgan Freeman

Jeffrey Wright.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

The documentary opens with the explosion of a firework and the silhouetted surge of riot police. A health-care worker crumples to the floor in despair in an empty hallway. Over the images, an audibly-anguished initial interviewee calls it tragic, absolutely tragic what has happened to this country.

Then out of the chaos comes a second disembodied speaker, instantly identifiable as "The Narrator" for his affectless — and familiar, if not immediately placeable — voice. "Americans have never felt so afraid and vulnerable," the man intones dramatically. "But what if the worst is yet to come, with no one in charge planning to help us?"

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.