NIXON
(1995)
Jack Choo Eng Aun
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Written by: Steven J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson & Oliver Stone
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, James Woods, J. T. Walsh, Powers Boothe
Produced by: Hollywood Pictures
Length: 195 mins
Rating: **1/2 of **** *
Theatres: Cathay Organization, Golden Village TheatresJFK WITH A DASH OF NATURAL BORN KILLERS
I never really knew much about the man.
RICHARD M. NIXON (ANTHONY HOPKINS) was the U.S. president from 1968 to 1974 and the only thing which I can associate with whenever I hear his name is "WATERGATE". The term "WATERGATE" spawned from the incident where the office of the Democratic National Committee in Watergate Hotel was burgled on June 17th, 1972 and is now widely referred to as THE WATERGATE SCANDAL, a general term used to describe the complex web of political scandals which occurred between 1972 and 1974. History has never been my cup of tea so.... honestly, I went into the theatre armed only with the above data!
NIXON chronicles the life of the 37th President of the United States, focusing more on his controversial years from 1960 to 1974. Born into a poor family in 1913 in Californian small town, Nixon's rise to power seem to be the perfect personification of the American Dream. The strict upbringing and his family's economical position toughened him through the years before coming into power. He lost by a wafer thin margin in the US Presidential Election in 1960 to John F. Kennedy, an incident which turned him bitter. His wife, Pat (JOAN ALLEN) urged him to quit the political scene and he succumbed, only to be lured again into the political arena after Kennedy was assassinated. During the years that he was President, Nixon attracted constant scrutiny from the press and frequently worried about what the Democrats might do next to threaten his political position. His worries climaxed when he sent his aides H.R.Haldeman (JAMES WOODS) and John Ehrlichman (J.T.WALSH) to organize a team to break into the Democrats Office in the Watergate Hotel.
Stone had a great cast to play with in NIXON and true to their reputations, they did not disappoint. Anthony Hopkins was great as Nixon (though he may not bear much resemblance to the real Nixon); from the wry smile which he pulls right down to the trademark Nixon `Victory' poses. Another performance worth commending is Paul Sorvino's nice portrayal of Henry Kissinger. James Woods plays his usual cool and sly self portraying Nixon's right hand man Haldeman.
NIXON is not an easy film to appreciate if you lack the knowledge of some historical facts on the Watergate Scandal. True to the spirit of Oliver Stone's work, NIXON fills the questions surrounding the Watergate Scandal forcefully with Stone's own interpretation. There were also some cleverly devised scenes where the viewer would suspect that President Nixon was somehow involved in the Kennedy assassination. In a way, NIXON is very much like Stone's version of a "sequel" to JFK -- both had to do with US Presidents and the controversial issues surrounding them. What really set them apart is the cleverly implemented flashback sequences in which Stone regurgitates some of the experimental filming methods he used in NATURAL BORN KILLERS, using black and white and also film of different stocks. They were quite effective as eye candy and also to kept my attention to the film; the whole 3+ hours of it!
Running at more than 3 hours, I personally felt that the film was too draggy, especially during the second hour or so. The majority of potential viewers will find NIXON too tedious to sit through and too 'factual' to enjoy. Strictly for fans of Oliver Stone's work (whom I feel will not be disappointed) and people who just cannot live unless they gather some knowledge on President Nixon and the Watergate incident.
I think JFK was a much better film.
THE FLYING INKPOT's RATING SYSTEM:
* Wait for the TV Tiga broadcast.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
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