Director: Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code)Cast: Frank Langella (Superman Returns, Good Night and Good Luck), Michael Sheen (Underworld, Blood Diamond), Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13, Footloose), Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall
The Deal: Following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (Langella), British talk show host David Frost conducts an exclusive series of one-on-one interviews with the former President. Nixon believes he can outwit Frost and regain the public's admiration, while Frost and his team hope to obtain the confession the country cries for. It's a battle that only one of them can win.
Thoughts: I was unaware that this story was told in somewhat of a docudrama fashion, but it always feels like a film and actually bolsters the historical significance of the interviews. The story is always engaging, and does a great job of constantly keeping tensions high between the two sides without being overdone.
The performances in the film were all good, but Langella and Sheen really stand out above the rest. Langella's portrayal of Nixon was frighteningly accurate and very commanding. He did a wonderful job of displaying the range of emotions written all over Nixon's face. Sheen was also excellent as Frost, cooly portraying the over-confident and in-over-his-head character. The supporting cast was solid, and I enjoyed the return of Kevin Bacon, whom I had not heard of in a while.
I feel the film does a wonderful job of portraying Nixon as a very human man, one who made mistakes he struggled to cope with himself. For all the wrong things Nixon did, it's almost impossible to not feel some compassion, bordering on forgiving him based on on sincerity in the final interview (credit to Langella). The film will not do anything to change people's views on the subject, but it is a great recount of the events that played out.
Verdict: The performances were spot-on and incredibly powerful. Langella's portrayal of Nixon will give you chills, and the story itself was constantly engaging. One of the years must see films. ☆☆☆☆
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