A Review by Phil Calabro
2004, ThinkFilm/Anhelo, Dir. Niels Mueller - Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson, Brad Henke, Michael Wincott, Mykelti Williamson, April Grace, Lily Knight, Jared Dorrance, Jenna Milton, Mariah Massa, Eileen Ryan, Derek Greene, Joe Marinelli
Insanity, in my opinion, is one of the toughest dispositions for movies to accurately portray - and few director have nailed it. De Niro's troubled Travis Bickle from Scorcese's winner 'Taxi Driver', Norman Bates and the perennial lunacy he trademarked in 'Psycho', and the infamous Hannibal Lecter are three that come to mind automatically. All of these may have been inspired by actual psychopaths, but where are the stories which detail their descent into this state of mind? That's where Niels Mueller's 'Assassination of Richard Nixon' comes into view. The movie's main character, Sam Bicke, is the personification of everybody who's felt left out, misunderstood, and humiliated. At first glance, his personality would spark disdain, but there is something universal about him - Bicke's reflections on humanity and American society seem more like truthful anecdotes than a madman's scribblings. Sean Penn gives a riveting performance as Bicke, gradiently transforming from the average American to a full-fledged rebel.
It's 1974, and Sam Bicke (Penn) has been having a terrible year so far. His wife Marie (Watts) is on the verge of divorcing him, leaving her to start raising their three children all on her own. At the same time, his job as an office furniture salesman is taking a turn for the worst when his obnoxious fatcat boss Jack Jones (Thompson) accuses him as being weak, and gives him dishonest advice at being a better seller. And to top it off, his best friend Bonny (Cheadle) is becoming wary of Sam's nervous personality. Sam, who is in competition with his corrupt brother Julius (Wincott), wants to start his own tire-selling business and wants a loan. But when he is denied this much-needed loan - he goes off the deep-end. Bicke's plan? To kill the sole criminal responsible for his life's problems, the 37th president of the United States, Richard Nixon. Through chilling narrative, Bicke explains to his 'truest friend' Leonard Bernstein about how he plans on ending the world's dishonesty by dive-bombing a jetliner into the White House.
Sean Penn is absolutely amazing as Bicke, definitely one of last year's best performances. He doesn't just want to give us a gist of Sam's problems, he wants us to suffer from the same discomfort that all of his friends and family feel around him in this time of mental deterioration. First we see the pain inflicted on Bicke by his job: his boss Jack Jones and son Brad Jones belittle his moral code. We watch as their greedy behavior seems to stick in Sam's mind, leaving a stereotypical impression about the world's bullies and their methods of success. His relationship with his wife is nothing more than a series of uncomfortable encounters, almost stalkerish. It is composed of half awkward-silences, and half disgruntled breakups. Although Sam doesn't realize his intrusionary behavior is the reason for their divorce, he feels misunderstood by his wife. The idea of killing Nixon seems like an outlandish plot, but to Sam it is symbolic. He is at odds with society, which is in fact being run by bad business and corporate affairs - and the 'chief liar' in position is Tricky Dick himself, which Sam finds to be a provoking target. Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle, who topline the film, give unsubstantial performances for actual analyzation - they represent dilemmas for Penn's character, but don't give enough steam to work chemistry with him.
Unlike Travis Bickle from 'Taxi Driver' as I mentioned before, Sam comes to the realization himself about the problems of the world, without having to face physical adversity. The problems he faces are just as tragic as a Vietnam Vet would deal with, but the way they are sequenced make them more powerful to watch. Slowly but surely, the audience watches how the greedy Jack Jones controls Sam's life at his fingertips - his wife's love relies on the paycheck Sam brings in, which relies on the job that Sam has to secure. And Jack's manipulative mannerisms, such as only hiring married men without mustaches, affects his relationship with Sam. Everything is intertwined, like a game of Ker-Plunk: pull the wrong straw out, and all of the marble fall down. Little hope is left for Samuel Bicke, and that's exactly the mood that director Niels Mueller is trying to set.
It suffers from very minor character flaws, but 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon' is quite possibly one of the most moving films in recent times. It will startle you, it will shock you, and it will leave you in a deep trance of thought after you finish watching it. Although most of the audience members will never face the problems that troubled Sam Bicke, we can still relate his character through a series of unanswered questions. What part of society do I play? How big is my part? Will I ever be recognized? And what lines must I cross to be recognized?
