The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)

It's 1972. Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a disturbed man who feels disconnected from the world. He has been kicked out of his home by his wife Marie Andersen Bicke (Naomi Watts). His friend Bonny Simmons (Don Cheadleis) works at a garage. He's bad at his job as a furniture salesman. As his world spirals out of control, he fixates on a plan to hijack a plane, and kill President Richard Nixon.Sure it's a big time performance by Sean Penn as the incompetent delusional loser. But it's just unrelenting how ridiculously pathetic Sam Bicke becomes. It grinds you down as he loses all connection to reality. The pace is a slow meditative walk through his crumbling world. It just doesn't have the energy of Sean Penn's more iconic loser role Travis Bickle in 'Taxi Driver'.

Based on the true story of Sam Bicke (Sean Penn), a deeply troubled man who in 1974 planned to assassinate U.S President Richard Nixon by hijacking a plane and flying it into the White House. Niels Muller's brave post 9/11 film delves deep into Sam's world to reveal a tormented soul struggling with a wayward perspective on life. Sam wants to live the American dream, but is constantly derailed by his own inability to function within conventional parameters. Sam sees injustice everywhere and it spills over so much as to damage the key relationships in his life. In many ways,and not just by name, Sam is reminiscent of the self destructive Travis Bickle from Martin Scorcese's 'Taxi Diver'. Bickle's warped perspective and one man mission to make a stand against the system is echoed all the more by the 70′s period and political backdrop. Sean Penn is sensational as Sam, provoking feelings of pity as he's taunted by his boss and shunned by his estranged wife, yet also manages to perfectly capture the essence of a man on the fringes of sanity with frightening accuracy. Penn is well supported by a trio of fine performances from Don Cheadle, Naomi Watts and Jack Thompson. Knowing nothing about the real life events, i found myself drawn fully into this unsettling story of a paranoid delusional man. Everything from script, direction to acting is fully top notch and although it could never achieve the classic cult status of Taxi Driver, it stands strong as a first rate character piece.

I made this account specifically to tell you how bad this movie is.If you wanted to watch a really drawn out predictable movie on how someones unmotivated life leads them to be a killer, which doesn't really fit into the reason he became crazy and hatched the worst plan ever of crashing into the white house. This is a low budget movie with low budget result. Do not waste your time watching this movie do not waste your time watching this movieIf this is a true story its not worth writing a movie about it, a small fish in a big sea. Its just not a good movie. Its just not. go watch good will hunting.

1974. Sean Penn gives one of his best, most gripping and credible performances to date as Samuel J. Bicke, a bitter, disaffected and painfully ineffectual everyman loser whose life is rapidly falling apart: His fed-up ex-wife Marie (superbly played by Niomi Watts) wants to finalize their divorce, he's faltering at his job as a furniture salesman, and his attempt at starting his own business proves to be both abortive and ill-advised. Increasingly angry and frustrated, Bicke comes up with a desperate plan to hijack a plane and fly it into the Whitehouse in order to make things right. Director/co-writer Niels Mueller delivers an undeniably dark and upsetting, yet still potent and riveting portrait of a sad bumbler and his total descent into madness and despair. Moreover, this movie articulates a powerful and provocative message about the unfairness of the American system and how having the American Dream isn't an easily obtainable goal everyone can effectively accomplish. Granted, this picture becomes more grim and depressing as it progresses towards its startling downbeat conclusion, but fortunately there are a few surprising moments of inspired dry humor, with Bicke's proposal to Black Panther leader Harold Mann (the always fine Mykelti Williamson) that he changes the group's name to the Zebras and allow whites to be able to join rating as a small gem. Penn really gets under the skin of the timid, oversensitive and incompetent Bicke; he captures the man's pain and anguish with bracing pathos and acuity. The supporting cast is likewise top-notch, with outstanding contributions from Don Cheadle as Bicke's loyal friend Bonny Simmons, Jack Thompson as Bicke's jolly, bearish no-nonsense boss Jack Jones, and Michael Wincott as Bicke's hard-nosed brother Julius. Emmanuel Lubezki's polished cinematography and Steven Stern's spare, moody score, and the meticulous evocation of the 70's are all up to speed. But what really makes this movie work so well is its admirable refusal to either explain or sentimentalize Sam Bicke; the film just shows you this poor feckless man as he is and let's you make up your own mind want to think about him. An absolute powerhouse.