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The Assassination of Richard Nixon [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Italy ]

5 star:		(18)
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3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The title of this movie refers to a failed attempt to hijack a plane and crash it into the White House, thereby killing Richard Nixon. Despite the obvious surface connections, the movie has, in my opinion, little or nothing substantial to do with either 9/11 or Richard Nixon. I say that at the outset so that people don't see this movie with false expectations.

What this movie is about is the complete meltdown of a human being, and is very disturbing to watch for that reason. Sean Penn plays a man whose life is falling apart. He is separated from his wife (Naomi Watts) and she is taking steps towards divorce. We aren't told the precise reasons for the marital breakdown, but Watts seems insistent on strict adherence to a court order limiting their contact, so we are left to assume that there is some history where he showed some of the psychotic behavior that later completely dominates his actions. He is working as an office furniture salesman and seems uninspired by his work. His bosses attempt to motivate him with the Dale Carnegie philosophy--this seems to work to a degree, because his sales numbers improve, but he still seems somewhat bored in his job and on tense terms with his supervisors.

At this point, his life seems to simply unravel. Mainly--in my view--this is because of an anger that he seems unable to control. He is angry at what he perceives as job discrimination that an African American friend (Don Cheadle) allegedly suffers, despite the fact that Cheadle himself seems much more at peace with the situation. He is angry that his estranged wife needs to wear miniskirts at work. He is angry at his bosses for marking up the furniture too much. He is angry at the SBA (Small Business Administration) for their slow processing, and eventual rejection, of an SBA loan that he and Cheadle have applied for. He is angry at his brother for confronting him about a theft.

In short, this man seems to have lost control of the basic personal safety mechanisms that enable most people to function effectively in society. As a result, the anger slowly poisons him, and we see his decline into the tragic plot that the title refers to. Mostly, though, this movie is just a very effective portrayal of the tragedy of the human condition taken to the nth degree. This is not a happy film--the later parts of the film are very disturbing and you will probably not be in a good mood after seeing it--but it is very realistic because people do see their lives fall apart like this when they are unable to get their anger under control.

So, this movie is highly recommended as a gritty, realistic, and searing portrayal of the human condition--but no happy endings here. One small note--although this movie is not about Nixon, a few of the lines his bosses use to try to motivate him as a salesman seem to be taken directly from a Dept of Labor black and white film that is shown to the Watergate burglars in Oliver Stone's Nixon.

Sean Penn gives a brilliant, compelling performance as Samuel Bicke, a desperate man whose world is falling apart around him. As his everyday life spirals out of control, we observe him lose his already slippery grasp on reality. "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" is loosely based on the true story of a Baltimore man who tried to hijack a commercial airplane and fly it into the White House in 1974.

This chilling story unfolds grimly, like a terribly skewed canticle for the prototypical little man, squashed by the system. Writer, and first-time director Niels Mueller succeeds in helping us to understand, and even sympathize with Sam and his troubled life, without manipulating us into condoning his actions. It is 1973 and Sam Bicke's life is already beginning to crumble. His demise plays out against the politically volatile backdrop of the Nixon presidency. Sam and his wife Marie, (Naomi Watts) have been separated for over a year. He obviously loves her and adores their children. She is a hard working cocktail waitress, and it is apparent that one of the reasons their marriage has failed is Bicke's inability to hold down a steady job. When it becomes obvious that she has no interest in getting back together with him, Sam begins to stalk her - although he doesn't see it that way. There is a heartbreaking scene where he pays his family a "surprise visit," and is asked to leave and call before he comes over again. The children go in for dinner, the door closes and Bicke looks longingly at what was once his home. He goes into the yard, hugs his dog, and lovingly puts his hands on a tree in the yard. His anguish and loneliness are palpable.

Sam lost his job with his brother's tire company because he believes customers are being cheated by not being told the actual amount of profit the business makes on each tire purchased. He feels a more ethical approach would be to just tell customers the true percentage of profit and offer to split the difference - cut profits in half - rather than lie about giving non-existent special deals and offers. When his best friend tries to explain to him patiently, "It's not lying, it's business," Sam doesn't buy it. He is a man of integrity, a regular guy who works hard and wants a share of the American Dream. However, he lacks the brains and competency to become a successful businessman. Now, newly employed as an office furniture salesman, he discovers that his new boss, (a controlling, gruff Jack Thompson), wants him to lie to customers also. Nervous at work, aware that as a new employee he is being observed, he literally cringes before customers, while his boss subjects him to constant criticism.

The one bright spot in Bicke's life is his dream of opening an automobile tire company, operated out of an old school bus, with his auto mechanic friend, Bonny Simmons, a black auto mechanic, (superbly played by Don Cheadle). Sam applies for a bank loan with the Small Business Administration, but cannot get the government to review his application in less than the standard eight-to-ten weeks. Nervous, fearing his application will be denied, he begins to stalk the local loan administrator, obnoxiously pushing to have his paperwork processed faster.

Closely identifying with minorities, African Americans and Native Americans, because he feels persecuted and invisible, Bicke pays a visit to the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panthers to donate money. He suggests that they might double their membership if they allowed whites to join their organization and changed their name to The Zebras. It is comical, yes.....and, given Bicke's sincerity, it is heartbreaking also.

Sam receives notification, by mail, that the divorce proceedings Marie had instigated, seemingly unbeknownst to him, have been finalized. He had deluded himself into believing they were still working on their relationship. When he tries to contact her at home, she and the children are gone. His loan application is rejected. He quits his job. He totally loses it and explodes in violent, deluded rage.

He sees dishonesty, hypocrisy, everywhere, especially in the White House. Sam's boss told him, with admiration, that President Nixon is the world's greatest salesman, because he swindled the American people into voting for him - twice. In 1968 Nixon promised to end the Vietnam War. He did not. He ran on the same premise in 1972, and won again. The president also promised aid for the small businessman, and never delivered - at least not to Sam. Richard Nixon becomes the physical embodiment of all his disappointments, failures, a world gone wrong. When Sam sees news footage of a soldier that stole an Army helicopter and landed it on the front lawn of the White House, he realizes it would not have been difficult to crash it into the President's residence.

A self-described grain of sand on the beach of America, Sam chooses composer and orchestra leader, Leonard Bernstein, a man he idolizes, to tell his story. He makes and mails the musician tapes which begin: "Mr Bernstein: I have the utmost respect for you. Your music is both pure and honest and that is why I have chosen you to present the truth about me to the world." The film's score contains piano and violin sonatas by Beethoven, and the music provides a particularly moving backdrop, especially during these sequences.

This extremely well crafted movie offers insight into the mind of a man who doesn't possess the necessary skills to make it in the world, and who blames society for his own inadequacies. The televised news images of this turbulent period in American history, projected into his living room on a daily basis, further feed his delusions. Bicke's descent into madness is painful to watch. Although this is not a suspense thriller, but a character study - a drama about one man's inability to cope with the stress and harshness of everyday life - the movie is fraught with suspense and tension. One never knows when Bicke will snap. The film's conclusion, although inevitable, is still shocking.

A formidable film!
JANA

Is there any role Sean Penn cannot perform brilliantly?

Samuel Bicke (Penn) is an underachiever, always second-rate, never good enough. Not good enough to measure up to his older brother in business, not good enough to qualify for a loan to start a business, and most importantly, not good enough to hang onto the love of his life, his wife (Naomi Watts). Bicke is a fish out of water in the world of sales. But he is unable to find his niche in the workplace, in society, or in the culture. Ultimately, this lostness, this disaffectedness, is expressed in his inability to find any meaning in life.

But there might be one way to achieve success, even notoriety. Bicke becomes fixated on President Nixon. Nixon becomes an allegorical figure representing society as a whole, and the subject of Bicke's pent up rage, his isolation, and his inadequacy.

The assassination of Richard Nixon is about an individual who loses hope in himself, his family, his faith, and in life. When there is nothing left to live for, there is nothing left to live for. Out of this sullen, self-inflicted torture emerges an explosion of rage and angst.

Sean Penn and Naomi Watts carry this movie along to its desperate, hopeless conclusion with grace, talent, and adeptness.

"Inspired by true events", this is a bleak film from a bleak period of American history. Laced with film footage from Nixon's defensive speeches ("I am not a crook") as the Watergate scandal began to dominate the news, the film otherwise is only nominally involved with Nixon. It is the story of the downward spiral of a life--- a very small life, dwindling to smaller, a "grain of sand" who chooses violence to make his presence felt.

Sean Penn's performance is masterful. A very far cry from "Mystic River's" thuggish and vengeful father, the two Penn portrayals ultimately have in common only their reliance on violence as the expression of rage and grief. But how very different those men are!

Sam Bicke is completely unable to see himself as the architect of any of the frustrations he feels. He is poised to feel bullied and disrespected by almost every acquaintance, and many of them oblige. He relates only to people whom he sees as having reason to have the same ax to grind, and feels victimized by everyone else. His plan to reverse his victimization bears terrible similarities to the apparent motivations of the Columbine High School assassins rather than to more grandiose political plotters, even though his adult version of a similar fantasy terrifyingly augurs 9/11. His hurt and his frustration set him on a course of madness, and he is unable to stay close to anyone who might see that his helplessness has become murderous rage, much less help him escape his self-destructive interpretation of society's ills.

Like "Monster", this is a film to be seen for the performance. Beautifully directed and co-written by newcomer Niels Mueller, and stunningly well-edited, there is no question that the supporting cast, particularly Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle and Jack Thompston are brilliant, but this is one hellish tour-de-force for Penn. Our preview audience filed out silently, a tribute to that performance.

This is a wretchedly sad, depressing film - but since that's it's exact intention I would count it as success on it's own terms. Watching the lovely Naomi Watts and the rest of the cast beat Samuel Bicke into a pulp - not even to submission, but beyond that - we watch as they actively abandon him again and again...it was hurtful to watch - but I did care about Sam and I could not look away.

Penn made Sam's violent plan understandable. A person under such severe, constant assault will strike out, rather than die quietly. I surely feel Sam was an honorable man - crazy, but noble, in a twisted sense. I wonder what the larger story was with him. He may have been on the downward spiral of paranoid schizophenia, or he might have hit his head in a car accident and lost his mental faculties. But nobody even cared.

The acting, dialogue and period design were also just superb. Even the film's colortones felt felt authentic to the early 70's. It just looked perfect. This film was still a total downer and I doubt that the Academy will notice such a niche film, but Sean Penn surely deserves a nomination for this performance.

The portrayal of this pathetic, common, frustrated man moved me deeply. It's true that he's mentally disturbed, but not so much as the society he lives in (a "cancerous society" as he himself puts it). The period 1973-74 was a difficult time in the history of the USA, a time when americans had to face corruption in the high places, a time of madness and astonishment, with a reality difficult to accept. The violent act that Sam Bicke performs at the end of the movie corresponds to the natural response of a "little man" who feels cast out from society and his family. He tries to give some sense to this world but his efforts find no destiny. Obviously enough, this does not justify his acts, but we understand them if we consider his own personal perception of the reality surrounding him. The movie captures Sam's inner world in the details, in the subleties of his behavior, in the confusing relation with his wife, and the condescending relation with his boss. These minor circumstances are wonderfully portrayed in a most impressive acting by Sean Penn. The movie reminded me of Joe Schumacher's "Falling Down" (1983), Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and the excellent peruvian movie "Dias de Santiago", which, coincidentally enough, I had seen just the day before I saw this one. There you also have a loser, mentally stressed, who tries (to no avail) to give some sense to his personal universe and the one of his family. I loved the use that the director gave to the Adagio from Beethoven's Piano Concerto NȘ 5 ("The Emperor"): it works as a counterpoint and a suggestive lei motiv to the violence inherent in the soul of the main character. It's a great movie, no doubt about it.

Sean Penn is fantastic as the self pitying loser Samuel Bicke who is his own worst enemy. There is little stopping him from being modestly successful. The odds are actually in his favor. His brother is the owner of a tire store and seems willing to let him work his way up the ladder. Unfortunately, a utopian self righteousness dooms his employment opportunities and marriage. Bicke's wife is raising their two children and her patience is not limitless. A friend who runs an auto repair shop (Don Cheadle) is also at his wit's end. We watch as Bicke's life is unraveling. It is not a pleasant experience. In many respects, he reminds one of a man getting behind a wheel of a car to deliberately crash it off the side of a mountain.

Samuel Bicke is a narcissistically selfish individual. He really doesn't give a damn about anybody but himself. At the end, we truly realize the depths of his vileness. No, Bicke is not a victim. He is evil. Other human beings are merely perceived to be props in Bicke's warped morality play. Their suffering is deemed inconsequential. Why does Bicke target Richard Nixon for assassination? Heck, why did Lee Harvey Oswald pick John F. Kennedy? In both instances, murdering a famous American president will guarantee getting your name in the history books. Bicke wants to be a somebody. The hell with those who get in the way of this goal. Sean Penn may leave much to be desired as a political thinker. Still, he one of America's finest actors. Penn gives one of his finest performances in The Assassination of Richard Nixon. You should make a point of seeing this virtually unknown masterpiece.

David Thomson
Flares into Darkness

Sean Penn is fast becoming the actor of his generation. What is so compelling about his performances is the fact that he is so utterly believeable in every role he plays. "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" sees him in the skin of a man whose life is falling down around his ears - not least because of his own shortcomings; his marriage has failed (he is separated from his wife [Naomi Watts]), his friendships are shaky, he and his brother are estranged and he walks away from jobs because of his "principles". He feels like the little man that the American Dream forgot. All of which serves to create the portrait of a man whose life is spiralling uncontrollably towards an equally unnoticeable end. Enter President Nixon; a man who, as Penn's boss tells us, got elected twice on the same promise. Nixon becomes the object of Penn's anger, his vitriol and his unstinting belief that the America he knows is built on the most immoral and unjust of foundations.

"The Assassination of Richard Nixon" is a compelling portrait of one man's inept struggle against the system. Beautifully photographed, brilliantly acted, and utterly believable throughout (it is based on a true story)the film reaches its inevitable but surprisingly and oddly touching denouement in some style. A true classic in the making.

Let it be known that this is no laughing matter. And all sarcasm aside, this is a powerful and moving, while sad and disturbing portrait of a man absolutely at his wit's end. For that matter, he's also at his cognitive mind's end, his emotional bearing's end, his wife and brother's hearts' end, and the end of the social strata where insanity and pieces of souls reside.
But Sean Penn is the man. This could have be Robert DeNiro thirty years ago; minor ticks, consciousness clouded with desperation, the powerful sense of wanting met with no ideas-all effortlessly expressed behind a nicely manicured moustache and classic big 70's hair. In fact there are a couple (at least, for I can name them) homages to Taxi Driver. His name is Sam Bicke, as opposed to Taxi's Travis Bickle, and in a bridge into the last scenes, Sam rehearses his act alone in his apartment with a gun tapped to the inside of his ankle. And the cowboy boots, and the pigeon-toe walk.
There is also an obsessed, possessed resemblence to The King of Comedy here.
This is a morose tale. It works as a portait of American desperation, one in which I can identify from the point of view of a poorer class angered by the corruption of wealth and power. The detachment necessary, apparently, to succeed and attain wealth and status. The dehumanization of others in the quest for the self.
There is nothing extra on the DVD. A piece on the original inspiration would be a given. But no. Information on the tapes he sends to Leonard Bernstein, whether that was real, or it was someone else, and if they were discovered and used in the creation of the film. No. Nor is there anything on the filming, the resemblences to 9/11 or the approaches of the artists involved.
But...another amazing and moving Sean Penn performance fulfills this experience. A good conversation piece. A film expressing harsh truths and brutal expressions.

While "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" is a marvelous film, it is far from flawless. It's inspired by a true story, although I'm not sure how true it is, the title is decieving and the films motive isn't entirely clear. How are we supposed to feel about the main character Sam Bicke (rhymes with Rick and whose name was actually spelled Byck)? Are we supposed to feel sympathy? Are we supposed to be horrified? Well, even with the events at the end of the movie, you can't help but feel a little sympathetic towards Bicke. Sean Penn makes Bicke into a really sad character and this is one of his best performances since "Mystic River."
Sam Bicke is a socially-challenged office furniture salesmen who's separated from his wife (a black-haired Naomi Watts) and isn't entirely sure how to handle it. His only friend is Bonnie (Don Cheadle), a black mechanic who seems to be the only one who notices that Sam isn't entirely sane. While Bicke narrates his story, we see Bicke slowly starting to hate Richard Nixon, while this is apparent, we are never told flat out that he has plans to assassinate Nixon. It seems Bicke is going to hijack a plane and fly it into the white house, but it is only hinted at. The hijacking scene is the most powerful in the film, especially the end where Penn runs around with a toy airplane. I would give this movie five stars if not for the mistakes that were made. We never, for example, see the after effects of the hijacking are. Like, Bicke's wife or friends or something. B+