Review of The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) by Drew D — 23 Jan 2005

The tagline for this movie reads "The mad story of a true man". After coming out of viewing [i]The Assassination of Richard Nixon [/i]I was in awe of every little aspect of it, including this tagline, which never really matters or affects me in movies. I mean it's just a sentence, and in most movies the tagline is just so hokey and laughable that you want to forget it as soon as you can. I didn't forget it or anything else about the movie, and I know it'll stay with me as long as I live.

This is the directing debut from Niels Mueller, who at this point had only written two films ([i]Tadpole [/i]and [i]13 Going On 30[/i]). He forces you inside the mind of the lead character Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) from the very beginning moments of the film as we see Nixon giving a speech on television. As the executive producer credits show on screen we find out that there were many great talents interested in getting this project released. Among them are [i]Y Tu Mama Tambien [/i]director Alfonso Cuaron, the brilliant filmmaker Alexander Payne ([i]Sideways[/i]), and actor Leonardo DiCaprio...who has showed a profound love of all aspects of film in his career,but especially recently as he also had an executive producer credit on [i]The Aviator[/i]. I had a feeling something special was going to unfold as the movie went along, something extraordinary. I've never really seen a take on a mad man like this film portrays. It was outstanding and more, and one of the best films of 2004 or any year.

[font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font]The truth obsessed Sam Bicke is played with the highest amount of intensity by the world's greatest actor Sean Penn, who once again gives more than his all to a part that just couldn't have been played by anyone else. Rounding out the cast is Naomi Watts as his soon to be ex-wife, Don Cheadle as Bicke's best mechanic best friend, Jack Thomson as his furniture salesman boss, and Michael Wincott as brother Julius. All of these actors give awesome performances in a film with so much intelligence rooted in every little part. Mueller shows he can direct with great power as he chooses to shoot the entire movie handheld. I think this was a terrific decision and it serves as a trademark for the obsessive and paranoid Bicke.

The greatest part about the film is that it's not about the assassination attempt on Nixon at all, it's simply about the gradual decline of an everyman's mind. I am ashamed that this movie got the negative reviews that it received. It's a work of art that is fueled by another masterwork from Sean Penn. One of the best films of 2004 was [i]The Assassination of Richard Nixon[/i].