Just did a re-watch of the film, The Manchurian Candidate, starring Denzel Washington.
The first adaption of that film starred Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and Angela Lansbury, and the premise was about Chinese governmental mind control. Without doing research, my recollection is that this film was black-listed for a time.
The latest rendition, 2004, included more up to date technology, including the same mind-control methods, but with micro-chips inserted into the bodies, and brains, of those under control.
Odd that the mad scientist very closely resembles Anthony Fauci, and that the political scene hasn't changed a bit.
A travel down into the rabbit hole has revealed that those with real power always tell us what they doing and what they are about, but it is presented as science fiction, even though it is real. And Hollyweird pretends that there are still "good guys" with some power. Oh, and MK-Ultra is a real thing. . . Look up Cathy O'Brien and her book, The Transformation of America?
Nothing is at it seems.