Susan Granger’s review of “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” (THINKFilm)
After winning the Oscar for “Mystic River,” Sean Penn tackles yet another tortured character. This time, he’s Samuel Bicke, a frustrated, pathetic loser who watches his own personal world unravel as the Watergate scandal exposes the political corruption of President Richard Nixon. It’s 1974 when Sam enters the Baltimore-Washington Airport. A tape-recorded message he’s mailing to musician Leonard Bernstein reveals the psychological torment that has propelled him to the breaking point. As Sam puts it, “I consider myself a grain of sand on this beach called America, yet even the least grain of sand has the power to destroy (the most powerful).” At 44, Sam is a novice office-furniture salesman whose boss (Jack Thompson) gives him “The Power of Positive Thinking” and “How to Win Friends and Influence People” in a vain attempt to improve his “people skills.” But dour Sam really wants to get back into the tire business with his mechanic buddy (Don Cheadle) after being fired for dishonesty by his brother (Michael Wincott). Meanwhile, his estranged wife (Naomi Watts) wants nothing to do with him. Inspired by a real incident, writer/director Niels Mueller, co-writer Kevin Kennedy and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezski weave an emotionally sterile tale of a frustrated, alienated man who eventually attempts to hijack Delta flight #523 to crash into the White House. With little to recommend it other than the awkward complexity of Sean Penn’s subtle performance, it’s strictly a bizarre curiosity produced by Alexander Payne, Leonardo DiCaprio and Alfonso Cuaron. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” is a tedious, bleak 4, detailing the frustrations of a despicable, homicidal sociopath.
