The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Sean Penn puts in one of his best performances to date in this highly underrated thriller based on true life events.

• Ginny  

  
  <font face="arial" size=2> <center><b>"I am but a grain of sand. The meek shall not inherit the earth. The earth belongs to the bullies who do not care how they get to the top."</b></center><br>A film <i>inspired</i>… More
  <font face="arial" size=2> <center><b>"I am but a grain of sand. The meek shall not inherit the earth. The earth belongs to the bullies who do not care how they get to the top."</b></center><br>A film <i>inspired</i> by a true story about the life of an ordinary man who plotted to kill Nixon.<br><br>Another one of those sad stories of a person channeling his lifes frustration and dissillusionment from the government and the country he loves, to a specific individual.<br><br>Sean Penns acting is always something to see, the script was moderately smart, but I guess this just isnt my cup of tea.<br><br> It just felt flat out, dreary and dry. I was waiting for a the big breakthrough in the pacing of the film but no big drama ever came out of it, it never happened, and Im left hangging. I never even cried throughout the movie!<br><br>Seriously not recommended.<br><br>If you want to see Sean Penn in a tear jerking drama you're better off watching <i>I am Sam</i>.<br><br><b>Genre: Biography, Crime & Drama<br>Director: Niels Mueller<br>Rated R</b>

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"The mad story of a true man."</i> Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a salesman for an office-supply company whose life is slowly beginning to unravel. Bicke's job is going nowhere, his wife, Marie (Naomi Watts), has left him, and his boss (Jack Thompson) keeps… More
  <i>"The mad story of a true man."</i> Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a salesman for an office-supply company whose life is slowly beginning to unravel. Bicke's job is going nowhere, his wife, Marie (Naomi Watts), has left him, and his boss (Jack Thompson) keeps pushing self-help books on him that make a mockery of his state of mind. One of Bicke's few friends is Bonny Simmons (Don Cheadle), an auto mechanic, and together they come up with an idea for a tire shop on wheels; while neither has the money to finance the project, Bicke has learned of a program for small-business loans instituted by President Richard Nixon, which he's certain will come through for him. But Bicke is denied his loan, which dovetails with his increasing suspicion of the president's Vietnam policies and a sudden interest in the "by any means necessary" political activism of the Black Panther Party. Desperate to seem important in some way, Bicke becomes increasingly obsessed with the duplicity of Richard Nixon, until he chooses to take it upon himself to stop the president once and for all. <b><u>Review</u></b> A collaboration based upon true events, this film delivers such exquisite performance in every aspect providing lasting impact. One man's failure on a personal level is played out with such emotion and sadness in equal measure against a backdrop of propaganda and deceit, utilised by a country and it's leader. The duality of both personal and professional failure hit home hard and show exactly how lost and hopeless someone can feel when everything he believes in falls apart. Superb dialogue and character driven there is not one weak performance here. You genuinely appreciate both the narrative and visuals from footage of 'Nixon' brainwashing a nation, to the impact this has on a man being driven mad by his own perception of failure to be a success. The addition of 'Leonard Bernstein's' music, as a quality loved is inspired and poetic providing both pathos and sentiment in equal part. The absolute star element of this film is Sean Penn however. His tragic portrayal of a man loosing all faith and hope is truly inspired and up there with any acting achievement seen within the past few years. You cannot fail to be moved by his collapse and loss of dignity that provides an everlasting impression as he free falls into despair. This is a must see for all who want their experience of Cinema to mean something and stay with them.

• Jens S

  
  Based on true events that also inspired Taxi Driver this is the story of a man who is slowly losing control over his life on pretty much every level and starts blaming society and the government, culminating in a crazy assassination attempt on the president of the USA. Sean Penn is… More
  Based on true events that also inspired Taxi Driver this is the story of a man who is slowly losing control over his life on pretty much every level and starts blaming society and the government, culminating in a crazy assassination attempt on the president of the USA. Sean Penn is convincing as always, just like the rest of the cast, and the downward spiral his naive and desperate character is going through is painful to watch in its inevitability. Of course that doesn't exactly make for a feel good movie, but for a pretty decent portrayal of a character whose American dream turned into a nightmare.

• Derek D

  
  Typical great performances from Penn and Cheadle, this is not some kind of normal "pyscho killer goes insane and wants to kill the president" story. It's not a great movie, but not at all a bad one. It's a very good film.

• Stephen M

  
  To sum up "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" in two words: Sean Penn. It really is all about him! I think I'm right in saying he's in every single scene, so the success or failure of the film is directly proportional to the quality of his performance. Just as… More
  To sum up "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" in two words: Sean Penn. It really is all about him! I think I'm right in saying he's in every single scene, so the success or failure of the film is directly proportional to the quality of his performance. Just as well he's magnificent, then. What distinguishes this movie from something like "Taxi Driver", and what makes it so chilling, is the care taken to portray Penn's Samuel Bicke as a regular guy down on his luck, and not just some disturbed loner. Bicke is highly-strung and has taken a few hard knocks, but if those are the only requisite qualifications for a would-be political assassin, it's a wonder we're all not at it! Consequently, though there's always the niggling suspicion that a piece of the motivational puzzle is missing, it's probably safer that we don't know about it. Excellent supporting cast. Excruciating but rewarding viewing.

• Lady D

  
  Inspired by a true story this slow moving films, shows a fine escalating performances by Sean Penn. The angel in which this film was shown was quite unique and a story well told.

• Pierluigi P

  
  No one hits rock bottom like Sean Penn, in a contained but powerful performance of a deeply disturbed man in a hopeless crusade to shake the foundations of the ever indifferent government. Intense, grief and shocking hidden gem in the same vein of the anti-hero and suicidal glory tale… More
  No one hits rock bottom like Sean Penn, in a contained but powerful performance of a deeply disturbed man in a hopeless crusade to shake the foundations of the ever indifferent government. Intense, grief and shocking hidden gem in the same vein of the anti-hero and suicidal glory tale epitomized in classics like Scorsese's Taxi driver or Peckinpah's The wild bunch.

• Tim S

  
  Great ending and Penn is great!

• xGary X

  
  When an obsessive yet vulnerable man loses his family, job and later dreams while those he sees as cheats and liars always seem to succeed, he decides to kill the man he sees as the figurehead of the corruption of the american system; Richard Nixon. Penn is very good as a man who is… More
  When an obsessive yet vulnerable man loses his family, job and later dreams while those he sees as cheats and liars always seem to succeed, he decides to kill the man he sees as the figurehead of the corruption of the american system; Richard Nixon. Penn is very good as a man who is desperately clinging to his sense of morals, becoming increasingly indignant as he sees his fellow "oppressed" crushed by the government on his television screen. There are actually a lot of parallels between those times and the current days of political spin, and Sam Bicke can almost be seen as a cypher for the disenfranchised muslims of the world who see acts of terror as their only voice. Clever and thought provoking, and offers a more personal picture of an individual trapped within a seemingly corrupt system than Syriana.

• Ross C

  
  This was fantastic source material for a thriller... so why was it so boring?

• vieras e

  
  This movie really doesn't have a single happy moment in it. It is a heavy and depressing reality based story about the struggles of one small, honest man. A story about how after being kicked in the head so many times and finally ending up losing everything, Sam Bicke snaps and… More
  This movie really doesn't have a single happy moment in it. It is a heavy and depressing reality based story about the struggles of one small, honest man. A story about how after being kicked in the head so many times and finally ending up losing everything, Sam Bicke snaps and decides to show the rich and powerful liars, for all the people who are being oppressed, the power of one grain of sand - because somebody has to stand up and fight the system!

• Michael G

  
  The acting was amazing, the story was good. But this movie was depressing as all shit. Definitely not the feel-good movie of the summer.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]My idea of a great performance is an actor who becomes totally unconcscious of an audience watching him and presents whatever ugly details of his character's personality life onscreen with ease.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=darkred]"The… More
  [font=Century Gothic]My idea of a great performance is an actor who becomes totally unconcscious of an audience watching him and presents whatever ugly details of his character's personality life onscreen with ease.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=darkred]"The Woodsman" is a movie about a child molester(played by Kevin Bacon, who is excellent) released from jail after twelve years, seeking to start a new life in Philadelphia. The central dilemma in the movie is posed the by the lead character when he asks: "When will I be alright?" The movie to its credit does not seek to give any easy answers to this question or seeks to cure the character. The most interesting thing about Bacon's character is revealed in a moment when he is talking with a 12 year old girl - it is the only point in the film when he is relaxed and at ease.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=sienna]While at the other end of the commonwealth in 1974 in "The Assassination of Richard of Nixon", Sean Penn plays Sam Bicke, a failed salesman who is in the middle of a new job as an office furniture salesman and in the middle of a disintegrating marriage.(Throughout the film, Bicke is in a constant state of denial and is constantly seeking to be reconciled in his marriage. But in one scene, he is flirting with an attractive customer and refers to his 'ex-wife'.) Sean Penn is extremely good but there is very little relief from this unpleasant character and at times, the movie feels like it is going to fall into a very prolonged Saturday Night Live sketch.(I couldn't think of anything worse to say.) What's interesting is to compare Bicke's breakdown to the same one that Nixon was supposedly undergoing in the White House at the same time. The movie's whole point seems to be success can only be gained when working with others.[/color][/font]

• Mike T

  
  I am taken aback by the lukewarm reception this movie has received. Sean Penn is a rare breed of actor, and this is a rare breed of character study. It is irrefutably Penn who dominates this picture with his meticulous examination of a broken man disillusioned by the superficiality of… More
  I am taken aback by the lukewarm reception this movie has received. Sean Penn is a rare breed of actor, and this is a rare breed of character study. It is irrefutably Penn who dominates this picture with his meticulous examination of a broken man disillusioned by the superficiality of the world he occupies. His performance is comprised not of numerous strong choices, but of a total transformation that we rarely see. This is the type of film I really enjoy, and I was especially pleased by its echoes of the legendary character Travis Bickle. Intelligently directed, handsomely shot by Emmanuel Lubezki and written with a great actor in mind.

• Nicolas K

  
  the previews collabortion of Watts and Penn (21 grams) will not be forgotten as easily as this slow but otherwise well acted, carefully constructed work.

• Ivan D

  
  Last year, I did not like Sean Penn that much, primarily because he nabbed the Oscar, which I thought should have belonged to Mickey Rourke. But after that, I watched many of his films, from "Mystic River" to "We're No Angels", with "Dead Man… More
  Last year, I did not like Sean Penn that much, primarily because he nabbed the Oscar, which I thought should have belonged to Mickey Rourke. But after that, I watched many of his films, from "Mystic River" to "We're No Angels", with "Dead Man Walking" being his best film. It is, until I saw this very brilliant film. Penn, being one of the best "chameleon" actors in Hollywood, has once again dissolved into Sam Bicke, completely personifying the character with stark realism and brutal inner turmoil. The first half of the film shows him as a normal person, but because of his estrangement to his family, thinks of himself as an outsider, forever casting himself out of the beach we call world. "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" is one of cinema's greats in terms of character study, and though it received a rating that is not very exceptional today, I put my trust that someday, this film would emerge in a classic status it richly deserves. I thought Sean Penn was great in "Milk", good in "Mystic River"(but Tim Robbins was better), but "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" showcases him at his very darn best.

• Grifty G

  
  Penn's Samuel Bicke shares a lot of the same qualities of Travis Bickle. Both are socially inept guys who believe they live by a higher code, but are desperately looking for some sort of cause to latch onto, and ultimately channels their disappointment into murder that they… More
  Penn's Samuel Bicke shares a lot of the same qualities of Travis Bickle. Both are socially inept guys who believe they live by a higher code, but are desperately looking for some sort of cause to latch onto, and ultimately channels their disappointment into murder that they believe is just. Penn turns in a Oscar worthy performance (forget I am Sam) and the writing and directing were solid.

• Erin C

  
  Depressing movie. It shows the troubles of an every day man and also the extremes he takes because of his misfortune.

• Dimitris S

  
  It seems to me that here we are,facing the inappropriate governmental decisions and one of those directors offers us a history lesson.What if?The problem is that although I do respect his views,approach,fresh air he gives,it just is too didactic and "romantic" to be taken… More
  It seems to me that here we are,facing the inappropriate governmental decisions and one of those directors offers us a history lesson.What if?The problem is that although I do respect his views,approach,fresh air he gives,it just is too didactic and "romantic" to be taken for real.Penn's character lacks of inner scope and while he's trying,the rest of the film is slowly dying...

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