The Assassination of Richard Nixon

THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON (2004) *** Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson, Don Cheadle, Michael Wincott. Penn continues to be our greatest living American actor in this volatile, highly implosive achievement as a frustrated businessman circa 1974 who vents all his shortcomings into a half-baked attempt to kill President Nixon in the hope his actions actually add some color to his miserable life and impose him as a significant human being. Novice filmmaker Niels Mueller (who collaborated on the screenplay with Kevin Kennedy) constructs a significant portrait of angst, anomie and alienation yet the outcome proves to be a touch anti-climactic spoiling the rage that has been festering throughout like an undercurrent of dread. Never-the-less Penn is ably supported particularly veteran character actor Thompson as his passive/aggressive prick boss.

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.

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.

Much like the Joel Schumacher film of 1993 starring Michael Douglas, this film is about an ordinary man with an ordinary job who is driven to insanity by the injustice and unfairness of his world. While both films teach us that no matter how solid it seems, everything will crumble under enough pressure there is no humor to TAORN. In fact it's the most depressing film like...ever.

I don't know what made me go see TAORN. I'd heard nothing of it but I like Sean Penn and Naomi Watts (they were in the brilliant 21 Grams together) and everything else at the cinema I had either seen or looked crap (Man of the House, Miss Congenatailiality 2) so I chose this, hoping it to be a dark horse. It was well made and acted but it's really, really heavy and I would not recommend it to anyone bored with their jobs or lives in general.

Sean Penn plays the true story of Sam Bicke, a furniture salesman who is estranged from his family, his wife, his children, his colleagues...basically everything. He sees the fatcats around him growing richer and richer while he rots away in his inescapable reality of nothingness. He blames Dick Nixon for his woes, the fattest of all fatcats, the man at the top of the food chain. He believes that if he kills Nixon he might be able to make the slightest of changes to the racist, lying world.

Of course he failed, but watching Sam Bicke crash and burn is a very painful thing to do. What makes it more distressing is that there is never a reason given as to why everyone deserted him. It gave the impression that anyone can be so callous and uncaring and that anyone can be driven to such insanity and desperate measures.

Not a film to see with your girlfriend that's for damn sure but certainly an impressive, if tough to watch, piece of work.

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.