Review of Secret Honor (1984) by Josh G — 12 Nov 2007

Although I am a fan of Robert Altman, it's obvious that all of the credit for this film goes to Philip Baker Hall. In case you don't know, the movie takes place in one room. There is one character. For an hour-and-a-half, Richard Nixon (Hall) talks to himself. Sound boring? On the contrary, Hall gives a mind-blowing performance, which, although the story is heavily fictionalized, makes you feel genuinely sorry for Richard Nixon. Of course, since Hall only resembles Nixon (barely) in profile, it felt mostly to me like an everyman growing old and losing touch with life. The way Hall stumbles over words, changes directions in his train of thought, screams at the paintings on the wall -- it's intensely gripping. Altman is known for allowing his actors to improvise, and all I can wonder is how much here was an act of improv and how much was scripted. This performance alone makes Hall one of my favorite actors.

(This is without a doubt the kind of movie you need to be in the right mood for, and though I want to see it again, I need some time to re-group.).