I have respect for SEAN PENN as an actor, but have often been offended by his liberal politics, his rants about a corrupt president and his anti-war stance and bias toward many things in general. But I have to admit that in THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON he gives an exceptionally fine performance as a man slowly descending into madness because of all the everyday frustrations of life.
The film is especially good at detailing the things that keep building up to the man's final act, in which he destroys himself along with some innocent lives. Even the scenes showing him at his mailbox, hungrily waiting for the official word that his "invention" has been accepted--something everyone can relate to who has ever waited impatiently for a certain piece of news to arrive. His gradual descent into madness is done in a way that is gripping without being melodramatic.
NAOMI WATTS is almost unrecognizable as the same woman who played opposite King Kong in the latest reincarnation of that famous film. She's the wife who can't seem to convince her husband that their life together is over. With both a crumbling marriage and troubles on the job sending him over the edge, the story moves at a steady pace toward the inevitable climax.
All concerned deserve praise for noteworthy performances. JACK THOMPSON is excellent as the boss who seems to have Penn's best interests at heart when he recommends reading "How To Win Friends and Influence People", but the socially inept character that Penn plays never has more than a timid grasp of what his boss expects him to be.
Penn moves away from the abrasive characters he played so well in other films to that of a man who stammers and is humbled by authority figures who seem to rule his world in an unfair way. He is completely convincing as the increasingly unstable salesman who funnels his daily frustrations into preparations for a plot to kill Richard Nixon.
Interesting film with a strong central performance by Penn that ranks with his best work.
The film is especially good at detailing the things that keep building up to the man's final act, in which he destroys himself along with some innocent lives. Even the scenes showing him at his mailbox, hungrily waiting for the official word that his "invention" has been accepted--something everyone can relate to who has ever waited impatiently for a certain piece of news to arrive. His gradual descent into madness is done in a way that is gripping without being melodramatic.
NAOMI WATTS is almost unrecognizable as the same woman who played opposite King Kong in the latest reincarnation of that famous film. She's the wife who can't seem to convince her husband that their life together is over. With both a crumbling marriage and troubles on the job sending him over the edge, the story moves at a steady pace toward the inevitable climax.
All concerned deserve praise for noteworthy performances. JACK THOMPSON is excellent as the boss who seems to have Penn's best interests at heart when he recommends reading "How To Win Friends and Influence People", but the socially inept character that Penn plays never has more than a timid grasp of what his boss expects him to be.
Penn moves away from the abrasive characters he played so well in other films to that of a man who stammers and is humbled by authority figures who seem to rule his world in an unfair way. He is completely convincing as the increasingly unstable salesman who funnels his daily frustrations into preparations for a plot to kill Richard Nixon.
Interesting film with a strong central performance by Penn that ranks with his best work.