Review of Nixon (1995) by Paul G — 15 Sep 2010
A blend of Citizen Cane and Shakespearean tragedy [and I didn't like Citizen Cane at all].
Anthony Hopkins gives an excellent performance as the thirty-seventh President of the United States as a uniquely American tragic hero.
Hopkins gives us a deep, resonant performance that creates a man instead of imitating an image. Stone uses the same approach, reining in his stylistic exuberance and yet giving himself the freedom to use flashbacks, newsreels, broadcast voices, montage and the device of clouds swiftly fleeing over the White House sky as events run ahead of the president's ability to control them.
"Nixon" would be a great film even if there had been no Richard Nixon. In its control of mood and personality, in the way the president musters moments of brilliance even as the circle closes, in the way it shows advisers huddled terrified in the corridors of power, it takes on the resonance of classic tragedy. Tragedy requires the fall of a hero, and one of the achievements of "Nixon" is to show that greatness was within his reach.
This review of Nixon (1995) was written by Paul G on 15 Sep 2010.
Nixon has generally received positive reviews.
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