THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON.
Director: Niels Muller
Stars: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson, Don Cheadle, Michael Wincott
Running time: 95 minutes.
Reviewed by Greg King
With its themes of paranoia, failure, and the souring of the American Dream, The Assassination Of Richard Nixon fits comfortably into the milieu of ‘70’s cinema that produced such powerful and searing films as Taxi Driver (with which this film eerily and uncomfortably shares some parallels), The Conversation, etc. But its cynical tone also manages to reflect contemporary concerns and the film resonates strongly with modern audiences in these politically troubled times.
The film is set in 1974, at the height of Watergate and the Vietnam War. Samuel Bicke (Sean Penn) is a failure – his marriage has collapsed and his estranged wife wants nothing to do with him, his three young children barely tolerate his brief, desperate visits, and he is a failure as a salesman in a furniture store. The bank rejects his application for a loan to start his own business. Richard Nixon, who is portrayed as “the greatest salesman of all” for his ability to con the American public into re-electing him with a string of false promises, is on television every night, justifying his administration’s policies. Nixon becomes the focus for Bicke’s increasing sense of frustration and rage. The desperate Bicke hatches a desperate plan to hijack a plane and crash it into the White House as a way to call attention to the plight of the average American who has been trampled on by avaricious politicians and greedy corporations.
Written by Kevin Kennedy and first time feature director Niels Muller, The Assassination Of Richard Nixon is based on a true story. The Assassination Of Richard Nixon took many years to gain funding – the script has been around for many years, but the post 9/11 tension saw all finance for the potentially controversial story evaporate. Independent financing from a number of sources, including Leonardo Di Caprio, eventually saw this daring psychological drama about a frustrated and pathetic wretch of a man reach the screen.
Penn has a powerful screen presence and it is unusual to see him play such a pathetic, sad, mousy little man as Bicke, but he pulls it off brilliantly, delivering a solid performance that eventually gains sympathy for this unlikeable protagonist. A strong ensemble supporting cast, featuring Naomi Watts and the always excellent Don Cheadle, are all uniformly solid, and there is a stand out performance from Jack Thompson, superb as an unctuous salesman. But all are comprehensively left in Penn’s wake, as he delivers another searing and intelligent performance that fittingly dominates this bleak and gritty look at America in the turbulent ‘70’s.
***1/2