Nixon *** (1995, Anthony Hopkins, Bob Hoskins, Joan Allen, Powers Booth, Ed Harris, E G Marshall, David Paymer, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, J T Walsh, James Woods) – Classic Movie Review 1216

Co-writer/director Oliver Stone tackles the tarnished President Richard Nixon in his fascinating but flawed 1995 biopic and real-life drama.

In an idiosyncratic portrait, Nixon is shown as a foul-mouthed, emotionally crippled drunkard. Anthony Hopkins, a great actor basically miscast and unable to prevent his Welsh accent regularly intruding into his American speech (particularly noticeable in this company of American players), gets by through giving an impression rather than impersonation of Nixon and is nevertheless very powerful and magnetic as the President. However, Joan Allen is ideal in a crisp performance as Pat Nixon. Not sure about Bob Hoskins as J Edgar Hoover, though, in another piece of offbeat casting.

It’s a bum-numbing film running at an unnecessary three hours plus (it’s 190 minutes). Even when it’s over Stone can’t leave it alone and is still giving us highlights pictures of the actors then newsreel clips of the real people. However, it scores highly as an informative and informed view of Tricky Dicky, and especially if viewed simply as a piece of brio film-making. Indeed it’s virtually a movie textbook of techniques and styles, and as such quite riveting.

The cast is a virtual who’s who of posh Nineties actors: Powers Booth as White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig, Ed Harris, E G Marshall, David Paymer, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, J T Walsh, James Woods, Brian Bedford, Kevin Dunn, Annabeth Gish, Tony Goldwyn, Larry Hagman, Ed Herrman, Madeline Kahn, Saul Rubinek, Tony Lo Bianco, Dan Hedaya, John C McGinley, John Diehl, Robert Beltran, George Plimpton and Tony Plana among them. Sadly, many of them are already gone.

Writers Stephen J Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson help Stone out on the Oscar nominated screenplay, which is perhaps kinder and more sympathetic to Nixon than he deserves, showing him as a shy suitor to Pat and a brilliant political manipulator, as well as an increasingly paranoid and contradictory character. Four Oscar nominations, including Hopkins as Best Actor, Joan Allen as Best supporting Actress, John Williams for Best Score and for the screenplay, but alas no wins.

RIP Powers Booth (1948–2017).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 1216

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