Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Of 2025Holiday Watch GuideGotham AwardsCelebrity PhotosSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

  • 2004
  • R
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
26K
YOUR RATING
The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)
Theatrical Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer2:31
1 Video
95 Photos
Period DramaTrue CrimeBiographyCrimeDramaHistoryThriller

Based on real life events, Assassination is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to take extreme measures to achieve his American dream.Based on real life events, Assassination is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to take extreme measures to achieve his American dream.Based on real life events, Assassination is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to take extreme measures to achieve his American dream.

  • Director
    • Niels Mueller
  • Writers
    • Kevin Kennedy
    • Niels Mueller
  • Stars
    • Sean Penn
    • Naomi Watts
    • Don Cheadle
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    26K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Niels Mueller
    • Writers
      • Kevin Kennedy
      • Niels Mueller
    • Stars
      • Sean Penn
      • Naomi Watts
      • Don Cheadle
    • 207User reviews
    • 88Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Assassination of Richard Nixon
    Trailer 2:31
    The Assassination of Richard Nixon

    Photos95

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 89
    View Poster

    Top Cast57

    Edit
    Sean Penn
    Sean Penn
    • Samuel J. Bicke
    Naomi Watts
    Naomi Watts
    • Marie Andersen Bicke
    Don Cheadle
    Don Cheadle
    • Bonny Simmons
    Jack Thompson
    Jack Thompson
    • Jack Jones
    Brad William Henke
    Brad William Henke
    • Martin Jones
    • (as Brad Henke)
    Nick Searcy
    Nick Searcy
    • Tom Ford
    Michael Wincott
    Michael Wincott
    • Julius Bicke
    Mykelti Williamson
    Mykelti Williamson
    • Harold Mann
    April Grace
    April Grace
    • Mae Simmons
    Lily Knight
    • Receptionist
    Jared Dorrance
    Jared Dorrance
    • Sammy Jr.
    Jenna Milton
    Jenna Milton
    • Ellen
    Mariah Massa
    Mariah Massa
    • Julie
    Eileen Ryan
    Eileen Ryan
    • Marie's Mother
    Derek Greene
    • Joey Simmons
    Joe Marinelli
    Joe Marinelli
    • Mel Samuels
    Robert Kenneth Cooper
    • Irate Driver
    Tracy Middendorf
    Tracy Middendorf
    • Businesswoman
    • (as Tracy Lynn Middendorf)
    • Director
      • Niels Mueller
    • Writers
      • Kevin Kennedy
      • Niels Mueller
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews207

    6.926.4K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10jimjimgrande

    outstanding

    I was lucky enough to find myself at a small screening of this picture and having no expectations, was blown away by what I saw. I felt a knot growing in my chest with every passing minute and it didn't let go until the credits rolled, when I had to take a couple deep breaths and heard the girl next to me doing the same.

    What first struck me was the fragility Penn brings to his character. He's a man I'm used to seeing as well, a man's man, and to see him timid and frustrated, swallowing so much emotion in ever bigger chunks...it was remarkable to watch, his performance a credit to director Niels Mueller as well. Penn deserves another award, Noami Watts and Don Cheadle are also excellent, and Michael Wincott, as Penn's brother, makes his one scene memorable.

    Niels and Kevin Kennedy have done a truly masterful job with the script, bringing unique voices and characters to life such as I rarely see on screen. Neils certainly doesn't look like a first timer behind the camera. Much of his framing feels emotionally

    claustrophobic, while a few hand-held sequences made me think I was an unwilling, unwitting voyeur.

    All in all this is a delicately crafted yet weighty and powerful film. I believe it gets released soon in New York and LA, but as Penn's Sam Bicke character might say "The system is unfair and everyone has a right to see this movie" so email ThinkFilm and tell them you want it in your city, too. Kudos to ThinkFIlm for getting behind this movie, they have another festival favorite of mine, "Kontroll" coming out in the spring.

    I take my hat off to these filmmakers for their outstanding work.
    10calif101

    Best film of the year

    I saw this film at Cannes and thought it was fantastic. There is not a flawed moment in the entire film. The performances are amazing and any intelligent film fan will see Sean Penn's performance as one of his best if not his very best ever.

    Additionally, Naomi Watts is outstanding. She disappears entirely in her role as Marie and is almost unrecognizable from anything she's ever done in the past. Jack Thompson, the great Australian actor of Breaker Morant and Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith fame is stunning. I can't believe he hasn't been used more in the United States. Not to mention the always great Don Cheadle and others...

    The story itself is chilling. This is one relevant film that everyone should see. I don't want to give anything away but suffice it to say that this film discusses with great depth and insight issues that are burning in everyone's minds these days -- terrorism, 9-11, powerlessness as a voting public, etc., etc.

    This film is gripping from start to finish. It is a carefully crafted character dissection that takes you inside the mind and heart of Penn's character. The film couldn't have succeeded without Penn's brilliance. The art direction and cinematography are stand out as well as the editing which keeps the film moving at a very assured pace.

    This film is as good as they come. It's the kind of film they used to make and I was thrilled to see that some filmmakers and actors had the courage to tackle such complexities as are tackled here.

    Roger Ebert calls "Nixon" one of the best films at this year's Cannes film festival...Le Monde in France called it a near masterpiece and in Rome's largest paper they wondered why this film instead of Fahrenheit 911 wasn;'t garnering all the attention. I agree with all of them. Amazing what the director and cast were able to pull off, simply amazing.

    This film is an absolute gem and a must see for any intelligent film-goer....It will become a classic...guaranteed.
    6ma-cortes

    Based on real life events and in which Sean Penn stands out, giving an excellent performance.

    Nail-biting and psychological dramatic thriller that will leave you emotionally and and physically drained due to Sean Penn's breathtaking acting. A furniture salesman called Samuel J. Bicke (Sean Penn) is fired by his boss, Jack Jones (Jack Thompson). Later on, he attempts to get his brother's old tire business resurrected with a black partner (Don Cheadle) but is rejected by the banks. When he is officially served with divorce denounce by his wife (Naomi Watts), everything goes wrong. The Man takes this as a shock and begins a relentless vengeance to get even with the unfortunate victims. Samuel J. Bicke is a man for whom life has completely lost its meaning due to fateful circumstances. He has a breakdown and becomes completely mentally insane and with an incredible, adrenaline-fueled thirst for revenge, he crosses limits and confronts all those who hinder his path. He can happen to anyone !. The mad story of a true man !. A merciless purport begins with disastrous consequences !. Power is a state of mind.

    Downbeat and intriguing drama/thriller about an unsettling and nasty sociopath, when his world comes apart results in unpredictable consequences. ¨The assassination of Richard Nixon¨ comes within hailing distance of such emblematic works of American disillusion as Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and Saul Bellow's "Seize the Day." It is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to take extreme measures to achieve his American dream. Apparently the real character of Samuel Byck also inspired the role of Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese''s Taxi Driver (1976). Sean Penn and Naomi Watts star in this high-voltage, disturbing drama with the spirit of a classic B-movie which also shows the lifestyle of the seventies, the political conditions and the tumultuous era of Richard Nixon. Professionally directed by Niels Mueller, it tells of a thorny character studio when a man has completely lost his mind and, in the midst of a mental breakdown, the disturbed office furniture salesman concoctes a plot to kill then-President Nixon. There's a really violent and terrifying final and in which a lot of people become the target of a insatiable rage. Alongside the always great Sean Penn appears a good cast of notable actors, such as: Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson, Brad William Henke, Nick Searcy, Michael Wincott, Mykelti Williamson, April Grace, among others.

    The film is acceptable and decent enough, but it doesn't add anything new to what we've seen other times about or sadists who carry out cruel and violent vendettas or ordinary men frustrated with various pèrsonal flaws see in society the main guilty, then begin psychotically and violently lash out against them. That's why ¨The assassination of Richard Nixon¨ borrows bits and pieces from others films . But what truly stands out is the extremely strong acting by Sean Penn, who efficiently plays the worst of the psychic characters. And being debut theatrical feature film directed by Niels Mueller. The Assassination of Richard Nixon , which Niels adequately co-wrote and directed, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, its North American premiere at The Toronto International Film Festival, and was sought by film festivals and distributors around the world. Niels was also the final production draft writer of studio box office hits ¨13 going on 30¨ (Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo) and ¨Letters to Juliet¨ (Vanessa Redgrave, Amanda Seyfried) and is an accomplished show-creator, writer and producer of network television, including the CBS series, ¨The Defenders¨, (Jim Belushi, Jerry O'Connell). Niels also received the German Federal Film Fund's highest grant award for his original screenplay, ¨A Letter For Matschek¨. Rating: 6/10. The film is especially recommended for hardcore fans of Sean Penn, who despite overacting at times, gives a truly terrifying, threatening and chilling performance.
    10yinchris

    Stunning debut

    Just saw THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON last night at an AFI screening. The film is absolutely stunning.

    Niels Mueller has such a sure and masterful hand in directing that belies the fact that this is his theatrical directorial debut. He directs with a flair that is never gimmicky and the film is pitch perfect without a single false note (helped in part by the tight script by Mueller and Kevin Kennedy and the elegant editing). The scenes hum with a slowburn intensity and gradually build up a momentum that lunges to the film's explosive final act.

    This young director is one to watch.

    Sean Penn gave a powerful and nuanced performance that explores the whole range of his acting personas. This IS the towering performance of his career. Excellent supporting work from Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson and a scene-stealing Michael Wincott.
    10buddymail99

    The most moving film I've seen in years

    I caught this film at AFI primarily due to my interest in Sean Penn and indeed his performance is spectacular. But Mr. Penn's performance alone is not what makes this a truly great film. The intelligent writing, well-timed and rich score, and supportive performances by Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson and Don Cheadle blend perfectly in this marvelously crafted feature transporting the viewer into the lives and era of the exquisitely human characters who are so elegantly portrayed. Sean Penn's performance leans heavily on the clever and complex writing which offers him the opportunity to display an impressive range of pathos. The writers have managed to depict the very human and sympathetic side of a character that would typically be cast as the villain. I think this is a hugely important film for that reason and on many other levels as well. The writers are able to very subtly include sociopolitical commentary without being "in your face" or at all judgmental as the political arena is viewed through the lead character's eyes yet not really distorted due to the inclusion of archival footage. The unexpected doses of humor matched perfectly with the poignancy of the lead character's plight. This film is so moving, scenes and dialogue echo in the corners of the mind for days after the first viewing. I'll definitely be seeing Assassination again.

    More like this

    Pauly Shore Is Dead
    4.4
    Pauly Shore Is Dead
    Sweet and Lowdown
    7.2
    Sweet and Lowdown
    Fair Game
    6.8
    Fair Game
    She's So Lovely
    5.9
    She's So Lovely
    21 Grams
    7.6
    21 Grams
    Hurlyburly
    5.8
    Hurlyburly
    The Gunman
    5.8
    The Gunman
    The Weight of Water
    5.8
    The Weight of Water
    Nixon
    7.0
    Nixon
    Americans
    5.6
    Americans
    I Am Sam
    7.6
    I Am Sam
    The Interpreter
    6.4
    The Interpreter

    Related interests

    Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen in Little Women (2019)
    Period Drama
    Lee Norris and Ciara Moriarty in Zodiac (2007)
    True Crime
    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sean Penn was attached to this project for six years before the financing for the picture was secured.
    • Goofs
      As Samuel Bicke is about to board the plane, an announcement is made that the TWA flight to Atlanta is about to board. On the news, it is announced as him boarding a Delta flight.
    • Quotes

      Samuel Bicke: Slavery never really ended in this country. It just gave it another name... Em-plo-yee.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Assassination of Richard Nixon/Meet the Fockers/Fat Albert (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, Op. 73
      Emperor"

      Performed by the Studio Symphony Orchestra Prague

      Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven

      Produced by Steven Stern and Jack Smalley

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ20

    • How long is The Assassination of Richard Nixon?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 22, 2004 (Greece)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Mexico
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Assassination of L.B.J.
    • Filming locations
      • Alameda, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Anhelo Productions
      • Appian Way
      • Esperanto Filmoj
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $708,776
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $37,547
      • Jan 2, 2005
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,426,087
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 35m(95 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.