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178 comments in total

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98 out of 120 people found the following comment useful :-
outstanding, 23 November 2004

Author: jimjimgrande from venice, ca

I was lucky enough to find myself at a small screening of this picture and having no expectations, was blown away by what I saw. I felt a knot growing in my chest with every passing minute and it didn't let go until the credits rolled, when I had to take a couple deep breaths and heard the girl next to me doing the same.

What first struck me was the fragility Penn brings to his character. He's a man I'm used to seeing as well, a man's man, and to see him timid and frustrated, swallowing so much emotion in ever bigger chunks...it was remarkable to watch, his performance a credit to director Niels Mueller as well. Penn deserves another award, Noami Watts and Don Cheadle are also excellent, and Michael Wincott, as Penn's brother, makes his one scene memorable.

Niels and Kevin Kennedy have done a truly masterful job with the script, bringing unique voices and characters to life such as I rarely see on screen. Neils certainly doesn't look like a first timer behind the camera. Much of his framing feels emotionally

claustrophobic, while a few hand-held sequences made me think I was an unwilling, unwitting voyeur.

All in all this is a delicately crafted yet weighty and powerful film. I believe it gets released soon in New York and LA, but as Penn's Sam Bicke character might say "The system is unfair and everyone has a right to see this movie" so email ThinkFilm and tell them you want it in your city, too. Kudos to ThinkFIlm for getting behind this movie, they have another festival favorite of mine, "Kontroll" coming out in the spring.

I take my hat off to these filmmakers for their outstanding work.

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81 out of 100 people found the following comment useful :-
The most moving film I've seen in years, 16 November 2004

Author: buddymail99 from Los Angeles, California

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.

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73 out of 91 people found the following comment useful :-
Stunning debut, 11 November 2004

Author: yinchris from Los Angeles, California

Just saw THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON last night at an AFI screening. The film is absolutely stunning.

Niels Mueller has such a sure and masterful hand in directing that belies the fact that this is his theatrical directorial debut. He directs with a flair that is never gimmicky and the film is pitch perfect without a single false note (helped in part by the tight script by Mueller and Kevin Kennedy and the elegant editing). The scenes hum with a slowburn intensity and gradually build up a momentum that lunges to the film's explosive final act.

This young director is one to watch.

Sean Penn gave a powerful and nuanced performance that explores the whole range of his acting personas. This IS the towering performance of his career. Excellent supporting work from Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson and a scene-stealing Michael Wincott.

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79 out of 103 people found the following comment useful :-
Best film of the year, 2 August 2004

Author: calif101 from New York

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.

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41 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
A brilliant achievement in film-making!, 12 November 2004

Author: julio79 from Los Angeles, CA

I was lucky enough to see this film at the AFI Fest screening in Los Angeles this week. They say it will be released at the end of the year, which is not soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

Others here have commented on the brilliant performances of the stellar cast, and I must concur. There isn't a weak link in the group. Particular standouts are Jack Thompson and Michael Wincott. These two actors play character Sam Byck's (Sean Penn) boss and brother, respectively, and they are the authority figures in Sam's life whose influences are palpable in the film even when they are not on-screen. Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle provide superlative performances that we have begun to expect from them as our due. Certainly one could say the same about Sean Penn. He is probably one of the highest praised and consistently well-reviewed actors of his generation, and his performance in this film illustrates why. Penn's elegiac performance is delicately nuanced and precisely wrought. For me, this is unarguably his finest performance to date. I hope that Academy voters won't hold it against him that he won last year because if ever a performance deserves an Oscar, this is it!

Director/Co-writer Niels Mueller has crafted a stunning work that is clearly heart-felt. This is a beautifully rendered character study. The level of achievement in directing, writing, cinematography, and editing are beyond impressive. Although this film was inspired by true events that occurred three decades ago (and the director and the production design team have captured the feel and look perfectly), the film is timeless in the themes that it explores. Considering the fact that this film was conceived and written at least five years ago (according to the director during the AFI Q&A)-before 9/11, before the Clinton Impeachment, before Bush's election and re-election, before the Iraq war-it is uncanny how relevant and topical the themes are.

If you are someone who likes inspired, thought-provoking films that are well-written, beautifully acted and masterfully directed, then I advise you to run, don't walk, to see NIXON when it comes out.

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46 out of 63 people found the following comment useful :-
Kudos to Mr. Mueller, 12 November 2004

Author: Milrav

A visceral and elegiac film impressively crafted by first time director Niels Mueller and an equally perspicuous screenplay, a collaborative effort by Neils Mueller and Kevin Kennedy. Another unforgettable performance by Sean Penn, as Samuel Byck, and a flawless performance by Jack Thomson's, as Jack Jones, that is worthy of all movie awards.

Samuel Byck (Sean Penn), an office furniture salesman during the Nixon era, found solace by chronicling his tribulations on tapes and eventually mailing them to Leonard Bernstein for compassion. The film, which was based on these tapes, re-examines the social plagues that forever haunt us - the socioeconomic and political quasi-religious dogmas that are inflicted upon us. At the end we realize that we are Sam Beck's 'Mr. Bernstein' left with the choice to redeem him or not.

This is the best film I've seen so far this year.

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49 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
I loved this movie, 29 October 2004

Author: fenuil2004 from Boston

I think this is a remarkable movie. It is great on every level. Sean Penn is better than I have seen him and the guy who plays his boss, Jack Thompson, wow. I am a big fan of Naomi Watts so I am very prejudiced in saying she is phenomenal. And Don Cheadle is one of the best actors around right now so its not a surprise that that is the case here also.

I don't think I've ever seen a film like this. It had me (and most of the audience I saw it with) laughing and getting drawn in by Mr. Penn's character. And then it got very tense and very silent as the film moved toward the end -- which is about the most tense sequence of an intelligent film I have ever seen. I don't want to give anything away but I have to say -- I read the review of someone else on here who called it "taxidriver revisited" and, with all respect, that's about the silliest thing I've read on the IMDb. Anyone who watches this film and starts thinking about and comparing it to another movie instead of 9-11 and the world we are living in right now needs to stop buying DVD's and start watching the news. This movie is so relevant on so many levels. I cannot stop thinking about it. I haven't had that experience for years. I did not think Hollywood was making films like this anymore.

Anyway, I recommend this film big time. I hear it is opening at the end of December. Go see it, that's all I can say -- it is intense and stays with you a long, long time.

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36 out of 53 people found the following comment useful :-
A Top Notch Film With Some Minor Flaws, 26 October 2004

Author: brian-724

I had the chance to see The Assassination of Richard Nixon over at the Loews at the Boston Common today. It was a packed house and Sean Penn, Neil Mueller, and Alfonso Cuaron were there to talk afterwards. But I'm just going to talk about the movie.

Overall, I found the film to be quite intoxicating. Sean Penn becomes Sam Bicke and the character is so interesting that I was left with his thoughts as I walked out of the theater. Especially in today's society, Nixon is an important film. It is about not letting the man get you down and it is about not electing into political positions when they are just going to lie and treat us terribly.

People will compare Nixon to Taxi Driver. And I understand this comparison. However, Taxi had much better pacing and much more violence. The performances here are just as compelling and the 70s look of the film is absolutely perfect.

There could be a few script tweakings, but some people won't be bothered by those little dialogue issues.

3 3/4 out of 5

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39 out of 61 people found the following comment useful :-
In short recommended., 15 December 2004

Author: bart51285

Thanks to my keen eye, I (one of few, I believe) caught that free tickets to above movie were being given away, and would be followed by a Q & A with the director, producer (the guy behind Y Tu Mama Tambien) and Sean Penn, who is the lead of the movie, and takes a large majority of the screen time. The movie comes to select U.S. theaters on Dec. 29th, and the widens. I'll mention the questions later, but first the review.

A very good, yet flawed film. I use the term film not to be pretentious, but because it is primarily a film, not a movie in the blockbustery sense. It was produced independently, with the documenting the assassin, Sam Byck (Sean Penn.) It focuses on the year before he attempted (true story) to kill President Nixon in February, 1974 by flying a plane into the White House. However, the main thrust of the film was not politics, but character development.

Sean Penn is clearly one of the best actors today, very much in his prime. He once again proves it here. Byck is a man separated from his family, unsuccessful in his careers, and is marginalized from his life. We watch him obtain a sense of hopelessness, as he watches his dreams crumble away, as he blames the American system for his demise. Similar to Taxi Driver, in a lot of ways. Outstanding portrayal.

The only negative was the short span of the movie. It was 95 minutes, and left too little time for back story. There is not nearly enough exploration of how Byck got to the point where he could be pushed to kill. Another half hour of explaining his character would have made for a pantheon-level movie, instead of just a rather good one.

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23 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
This film is amazing -- 5 stars, 20 September 2004

Author: pepsicokedew from Los Angeles, California

I give The Assassination of Richard Nixon five out of five stars. It was one of the big buzz films in Toronto and I had to work every possible angle to get a ticket to the sold out screening when it made its premiere. The theater in Toronto was over a thousand seats and was packed. The audience was completely into this one -- there was plenty of earned laughter as this film has a great deal of humor before it gives way to relentless, heart-wrenching drama.

It's the story of a man who tried to kill President Nixon in 1974 and is a moving, emotional, entertaining film. Sean Penn is Sean Penn -- just the best that there is and this is as great as anything he has ever done.

I heard while I was in Toronto that the film was still being worked on after it first screened in Cannes so this was the first screening of the finished film (so I be careful when reading reviews that you are reading a review of the finished film). It is amazing, amazing, amazing and I hope it gets out to as big an audience as possible. Thank goodness filmmakers are making films that matter. 5 stars out of 5!!!!

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