The Assassination of Richard Nixon

The Assassination of Richard Nixon (Director: Niels Mueller)

This is Mueller's debut. This movie had a limited December 29 release, so it's considered a 2004 film. Some interesting producers on this film include Alexander Payne, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Alfonso Cuaron.

And, like many films released in 2004, it keeps with the tradition of great performances in average movies. Sean Penn plays real-life Samuel Bicke, who in 1974 after his marriage and career crumbled, had the idea he was going to crash a plane into the White House. To me, Bicke's name (actually Byck) must have inspired the name Travis Bickle, the character played by Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, a character who has designs on political assassination as well. Also, Penn idolized De Niro when he wanted to become an actor, so the parallels are close enough to make you wonder.

Bicke is a sad sack guy, recently separated from his wife Marie (Naomi Watts, in a much-different teaming than in 21 Grams), and just made a salesman at a furniture store, where he hates lying to get the sale. He has ideas about a business where he and his friend Bonny (Don Cheadle) would sell tires off a bus, one that Bonny is not enthusiastic about, nor is a bank in which he applies for a loan. He constantly weathers people down with his presence, and once his mind gets latched onto something, he is relentless.

The movie is fun (or devastating) to watch when Bicke interacts with people, sharing his weightless ideas or expressing his misguided attitudes towards them. We see completely where the man begins to think killing Nixon is going to make him a somebody, and the scenes after Bicke gets to the airport are stunning. Also, Jack Thompson, playing Bicke's boss Jack Jones, is a major scene stealer as a serious salesman who swears by the works of Dale Carnegie (How to Win Friends and Influence People) and Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking). There's also a good scene with his brother Julius (Michael Wincott).

Yet, for all of that, the movie comes up a little short. We don't know why Bicke and his wife ever got together and had enough love to produce three children, and we don't know why he and Bonny are friends. The devastation of a character only truly works when you have seen that person at his best. To me, that says the movie doesn't trust us to be anything but less-than-sympathetic towards his character. Don't get me wrong, this movie has more than enough to make you want to go see it, but you'll find yourself after the movie a little empty of what it could have been. The movie is relatively short, so there was no reason not to include a little bit more backstory. Penn turns in a great performance, and this past year there were a lot to choose from, so it goes down as a great non-nominated turn. Also, in another year, Jack Thompson would have been given a supporting nod.