| News Items: |
| Headlines |
| News Briefs |
| Stories |
| Movies |
| Word To Life |
| Special Items: |
| Vatican |
| Election 2004 |
| Africa |
| Charter update |
| John Jay study |
| Other Items: |
| Client Area |
| Links |
| Archives: |
| Origins |
| Movie Review |
|
The Assassination of Richard Nixon By David DiCerto Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- The American dream becomes a nightmare of rage and disillusion in the well-acted but brooding drama "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" (THINKFilm). Loosely based on actual events and anchored by a bravura lead performance by Sean Penn, the fictionalized story centers on Samuel Bicke (slightly altered from the spelling of his real-life inspiration), a sad-sack office furniture salesman, who, in 1974, tried to hijack a plane and crash it into the White House. The aborted suicide mission is filmed with disturbing realism. Though ultimately thwarted, he rationalized his murderous intentions as an act of political protest, motivated by a sense of misguided idealism. In truth, the doomed plot was simply a desperate attempt to reclaim some meaning and self-validation in what he saw as an insignificant life. Written and directed by first-timer Niels Mueller, the film opens with Bicke setting his kamikaze plan in motion and then retraces his downward spiral. Narration is provided in the form of tape-recorded messages -- delusional missives explaining his proposed plan -- which he mails to famed conductor Leonard Bernstein, whom Bicke worshipfully admires. Calling himself "a grain of sand on this beach called America," Bicke wants his rightful piece of the American pie, but keeps coming up with crumbs. Like some reverse Midas, everything he touches turns sour, including his relationships with his wife (Naomi Watts), who dashes any hope of reconciliation by filing for divorce, and his more successful brother (Michael Wincott), who owns a lucrative tire dealership. The only bright spot in his life is his friendship with his auto-mechanic buddy, Bonny (Don Cheadle), with whom he is planning to partner on a small business venture. But when the bank turns down his small business loan application, it pushes Sam over the edge. Seeing hypocrisy and injustice everywhere, Sam's quixotic fixation with righting the world's wrongs takes a sinister turn. He decides to lash out at the man he views as the embodiment of corruption: President Nixon. Jack Thompson plays Sam's boss who makes his employees listen to tapes of Dale Carnegie's "The Power of Positive Thinking," which only end up bringing Sam's own failures into sharper focus. The film explores the dark side of the American dream, as well as the alienation of the "everyman." Visually, the film has a voyeuristic quality and, partly due to its politically charged themes, looks and feels like a movie from the 1970s. "Assassination" has some (though too few) moments of humor, including a scene where Sam proposes that the militant Black Panthers change their organization's name to "the Zebras" in order to boost membership by attracting whites. While well written and directed, the movie is really about Penn's performance. He is in almost every frame of the film and conveys a simmering stew of moping defeatism and unhinged defiance: one part Willy Loman from Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and two parts Travis Bickle from Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," with a dash of John Hinckley for good measure. Some viewers may feel its tone is too bleak, especially given Sam's chosen method of destruction, which eerily and presciently foreshadowed the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But while never justifying Sam's actions, the chilling film at least tries to explain what would drive a "normal" person to such extreme measures. The film contains a scene of graphic violence, sporadic rough and crude language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. - - - DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. END Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
| FIND A MOVIE |
|
Looking for a movie review? |