The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)

If there's one reason of why this movie was actually good and turned out to be good is because of Sean Penn he pretty much owns the film and the last act of the movie is probably the strongest although i think the title kills the movie a bit because it's kinda wrong in my opinion? People might except something more instead of a Drama movie with 20 minutes of Political Thriller or Propaganda or in this case call it whatever you want. But i think the ending matters a lot because it showed why Penn went insane and why he wanted to throw the plane on the white house. And i think the rest of the supporting cast did a pretty cool job as well. But the movie was a hit thanks to a good leading performance!!

Being a huge fan of Sean Penn's performances ('Milk', 'Mystic River' etc) and more specifically '21 Grams' starring Penn and Naomi Watts I picked this film up with high expectations purely on the premise of Penn and Watts reunited on screen, needless to say, it does not disappoint! The film has the rare accolade of being set several decades earlier (1974) in the middle of the Nixon regime, yet still containing themes that are just as relevant in 2010; Racism, Power Struggles, Terrorism (particularly post 9/11, although ironically the film was being scripted before this).Focusing on 'average-Joe' salesman Samuel Bicke (Penn) the film focuses on one man's despairing breakdown as he searches for 'a little piece of the American dream'. Bicke goes through a series of jobs and is a failing salesman due to his strong morals in equality and honesty.The cinematography is fantastic, as Bicke becomes more and more disillusioned the camera shows an increasing number of extreme close ups, serving to highlight the mental disintegration Bicke is going through. The score throughout is also chilling and works seamlessly with the mannerisms of Bicke against the backdrop of several close ups of President Nixon on the TV representing everything Bicke has come to hate. The editing is also superbly paced, speeding up as Bicke becomes more and more despondent with the world around him and we reach the harrowing final scene.It is a testament to the incredible talent of Penn that whilst his characters actions would stereotype him as a traditional villain you are left feeling nothing but empathy for Bicke and will be questioning your own notions of morality long after the credits role, even more so with the irony that such is Bicke's desire to support his family that he is dishonest on more than one occasion in his desire to provide for those closest to him. Naomi Watts is equally brilliant as his ex wife and as usual Don Cheadle is superb as a friend, 'a grain of sand' as Bicke would say who accepts the world for what it is. There is also a fantastic performance by Bicke's boss, Jack Thompson.If you are a fan of thought provoking cinema then 'The Assassination Of Richard Nixon' is an absolute must see. Having only seen this film recently and on the back of watching both '21 Grams' and 'Milk' (of which Penn is simply superb in both) I don't believe it is to presumptuous to go as far as asking where Penn may be the greatest actor of his generation? This is definitely a film to watch again and again, and yet each time you do it raises more questions. The film has been a likened to 'Taxi Driver', released in the same period as Nixon is set and much like the success of that film I can see this one being just as highly thought of thirty years from now.

Based on a true story, "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" tells the tale of Samuel Byck, a disgruntled salesman who hatches a plot to kill President Nixon. The film is very similar to "Taxi Driver" (Paul Schrader based Travis Bickle on Samuel Byck) and Sean Penn is riveting as our increasingly insane "hero", but the film never really takes off.A greater director would have focused on the causes of Byck's depression, his business failures, his army past and the economic situation of Nixon's America, but director Niels Mueller is content to keep things simple. IE: Byck hates the president because his life sucks! 7.9/10 – A wasted opportunity. Still, the film ends with a haunting sequence and features a powerful performance by Sean Penn.Worth one viewing.

Another twitchy performance by Penn as a mousy loser who's so hopelessly pathetic that all the anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-whatsoever criticism that drives him to run amok feels rather toothless.Yes, the direction is quietly understated and the performances are okay, but the script is way too obvious in its depiction of a mental breakdown and Penn's one-note character becomes quite grating after a while.At least, Michael Douglas whacked out the right way in "Falling Down".5 out of 10 enlightening letters to Leonard Bernstein