Secret Honor

Secret Honor (1984)

  • 75% of critics liked it
    (12 reviews)

  • 74% of users liked it
    (1,912 ratings)

After resigning in disgrace, Richard Nixon (Philip Baker Hall) sits at a desk in his study late at night, dictating his memoirs. Taking one drink, then another, he rants about Eisenhower, Castro, Khruschchev, Kissinger, the Kennedys, and any number of other people, some real, some imagined, finally… More

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Donald Freed, Arnold M. Stone
Genres
Drama, Comedy, Special Interest
In Theaters
Jul 1, 1984 Limited
On DVD
Oct 19, 2004
Cinecom International Films

Critic Reviews

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    Rarely have I seen ninety more compelling minutes on the screen.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    One of the funniest, most unsettling, most imaginative and most surprisingly affecting movies of its very odd kind I've ever seen.

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

    The dramatic material, overheated to begin with, is hyped up by hysterical acting and further exaggerated by a busy mise-en-scene based on meaningless camera movements and space-destroying zooms.

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    The pic delivers a fascinating story in a fascinating way.

  • Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian

    Does anyone have a clue what Altman was driving at with this intense glob of lunacy?

Read all 9 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Graham J


    Altman returns to top form and delivers an amazing, tense and thrilling one man show. Phillip Baker Hall in his greatest role and Altman's camera does the rest.

  • Steven C


    Robert Altman was a scientist. He was constantly exploring new ways to tell cinematic stories and "Secret Honor" was one of his most daring experiments. During the 1980s Altman was shunned from Hollywood due to his underperforming films. He spent the better part of the… More

  • Walter M


    [font=Century Gothic][color=indigo]"Secret Honor" is a one-man film directed by Robert Altman featuring Philip Baker Hall as a post-disgrace Richard Nixon in full drunken, venomous rage, dictating his memoirs. Therein, lies the problem with this movie - there is not a lot of… More

  • Alec B


    As a fictional exploration into the insanity of Nixon it works amazingly well. Philip Baker Hall is one the greatest actors ever, and he never gets the recognition he deserves. This is one fucking amazing performance.

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