The Assassination of Richard Nixon

Bud the Lea

Rated 8.5. I watched this on a bored Saturday night in, hoping for some mischief and a bit of a thriller but what I got was some of the most personally gruelling viewing I've experienced watching a film. Anybody who's lived at the fringes of normal society and fights the conventional work employee slavery game we are all put through will watch this film with increasing stress and anguish as the central character Sam Bicke exhibits every frustration, anger and torment that we all experience at some point. It almost becomes unwatchable because it reminds you of so many things that have happened to you in your own life. Falling Down is just a shadow of the intensity of this movie. So if you want to relive every reason you've already lived for fighting against ordinary suburban emasculated life, then this film is for you. It almost drove me to distraction and I nearly turned it off. But, I pressed on. In fact, the ending is a bit disappointing and it's sort of deflating and it's all messy and useless and I think it's meant to be like that because it really shows the complete pointlessness of battling the system, that you will end up with nothing. So grit your teeth and get on with it. Otherwise you find yourself at the bottom in pieces and everyone else just stepping right over you. Sean Penn is magnificent, and Cheadle shows how his understated great presence in a film really adds to the tension and realism. Watts and Thompson also do great work here.

Review via The Movie Database (TMDB)