Nixon (1995)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson
and Oliver Stone

Rated R for language

"Nixon" is perhaps one of Oliver Stone's most overlooked films. "Nixon" was Stone's first Presidential biopic since 1991's "JFK" (read my "JFK" review here), and though it featured the paranoia and conspiracy theory elements that made "JFK" so legendary, it failed to achieve the same degree of acclaim. Clocking in at 212 minutes, the director's cut of "Nixon" is actually longer than "JFK", which was already a two-sitting film for most audiences. While not as amazing a cinematic experience as "JFK", "Nixon" is a star-studded epic of political intrigue that is well worth the time investment for fan's of Stone's work.

"Nixon" stars Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon. My first reaction to this casting choice was that Hopkins looks nothing like Nixon. Fortunately, despite the physical differences, Hopkins gives a good show of imitating Nixon's voice and mannerisms, and shows much of the raw acting talent that won him so much acclaim in 1991's "Silence of the Lambs". Hopkins was nominated for the "Best Actor" Oscar in 1995 for this performance.

But Nixon is a different kind of monster than Hannibal Lecter was. Hopkins' Nixon is the ultimate two-faced politician. He is so megalomaniacally concerned about his public image that he often refers to himself in the third person, simply as "Nixon". He lies so freely that he seems to have a hard time keeping track of the truth. When secret White House recordings surface, he is forced to reconcile the Presidential persona that he presents to the world with the ugly, petty bigot whose voice he hears on the tapes. Several of the secret tapes feature Nixon using ethnic slurs or expressing racial intolerance. Nixon's response to his own bigotry: "Nixon can't say that. It makes me sound anti-Semetic."

Joan Allen does a fantastic job as Pat Nixon (Dick refers to her simply as "Buddy" throughout most of the film). She is the supportive wife who indulges her husband's delusions of grandeur even when the delusions become realities. As his only friend, Pat tries to remind Richard that he doesn't have to achieve the "stardom" of JFK's presidency to be a good president. She is in a way the most tragic character of the film, deeply devoted to a man who can never be content with what he has. Joan Allen was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" for her portrayal of Pat Nixon. As I researched this film, I came across a hilarious quote which aptly describes Allen's commitment to the role:  

"To tell you the truth, if Oliver Stone had wanted Pat Nixon to wear a G-String and swing from a chandelier, I would have played it that way." 

- Joan Allen

Several other notable actors fill contributing roles, including Bob Hoskins as a very gay J. Edgar Hoover, Ed Harris as E. Howard Hunt, and James Woods (in his first Stone film since "Salvador" (1986)) as H. R. Haldeman. These characters don't have much screen-time, but add significantly to the overall star power of the film. 

The editing style of "Nixon" seems to be a cross between the hyper-edited quick-cut style of "JFK" and the hallucinatory dream-vision style of "Natural Born Killers". At times, images or film clips are jarringly superimposed over one another in a hyper-stylized manner. It is clear that this film marks a transition for Stone from one style to another, and as can be expected, is a little less stylistically coherent for it. 

Fans of "JFK" will appreciate some crossover in terms of plot. "Nixon" captures the Kennedy Assassination from Nixon's point of view. Though Nixon himself doesn't have anything to do with the assassination, the film hints that he has inadvertently come into contact with some of the bigwigs in the assassination conspiracy. A group of anti-Kennedy bigwigs supported Nixon's bid for presidency, and then his path to the White House was mysteriously cleared by the assassination or attempted assassination of many of Nixon's political enemies (including Bobby Kennedy). Aware that he is an unwilling pawn in a larger political intrigue, Nixon keeps his suspicions to himself for fear that he will be assassinated himself. It is even implied that the missing eighteen and a half minutes that were intentionally (and illegally) erased from the secret White House tapes included references to the assassination, which Nixon cryptically refers to only as "The Bay of Pigs Incident".

Overall, I'd give "Nixon" an 8/10. It's a great film with some awesome acting, but its length is prohibitive to casual viewing. While the character of one of our most notorious presidents provided an excellent arena for Anthony Hopkins to work his magic in, Richard Nixon is ultimately not as interesting as Stone's previous films subjects. Ironically, "Nixon" (a film about a President living in the shadow of his predecessor, John Kennedy) is forever doomed to live in the shadow of the much-better film, "JFK".













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JFK (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Oliver Stone and Zachary Sklar

Rated R for language and violence

Oliver Stone has outdone himself with this riveting epic of paranoia. With two Academy Award wins (for Cinematography and Editing) and another six nominations (including Best Picture, Director and Music) in 1992, this was Stone's most successful film to-date.

Kevin Costner stars as Jim Garrison, a Louisiana D.A. who can't shake his suspicions about John F. Kennedy's assassination. Not believing the widely-accepted "Lone Gunman" theory, Garrison forms a team to reopen JFK's murder investigation. Like any good conspiracy movie, "JFK" takes us down the rabbit's hole to the other side of the looking glass. As Garrison digs deeper into the mystery, his discoveries become more bizarre and disturbing.

Many of the witnesses Garrison tries to locate from the original investigation have died mysteriously since. Garrison also finds several interesting links between key players that were never followed up on or even commented on in the official "Warren Commission" report. The deeper he digs, the more he becomes convinced of a far-reaching conspiracy in which the FBI, the CIA, anti-Cuban terrorist groups, the mob, and Lyndon B. Johnson, Kennedy's successor may all be implicated.

While Stone has garnered some criticism for taking liberties with the facts, some of his simpler arguments ring true. For instance, why was the initial investigation handled so poorly? The men charged with the security of the President were taking careless risks that day that allowed the shooting to occur. The parade route was changed at the last minute to take the President's caravan around a slow turn near the grassy knoll and the book depository. The initial investigation claimed that a maximum of three bullets had all been fired at the President from the Dallas Book Depository. Garrison effectively "proves" (using the famous "Magic Bullet" argument) that there were at least four shots, fired from at least two locations. While much of Garrison's (and by extension Stone's) theory is pure speculation, he at least creates reasonable doubt about the official story.

The film features superb acting by everyone involved (with occasionally unbelievable southern accents), and includes a laundry list of top-notch stars in supporting roles. The cast includes: Kevin Costner, Donald Sutherland, Joe Pesci, Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, John Candy, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Particularly excellent performances are given by Sissy Spacek (as Jim Garrison's wife) and Tommy Lee Jones, who was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" for his portrayal of flamboyantly gay conspirator Clay Shaw.

This film is also significant as the cinematic precursor to the popular "X-Files" TV show. Garrison's insistence on finding the truth, even at great personal risk, is the basis for the character Fox Mulder. "The Truth is Out There" and "Trust No One" could easily be tag-lines for "JFK". If you are a fan the "X-files" and/or popular reinterpretations of JFK's assassination, I urge you to check out "X-Files" episode "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man". "X-Files" also features a trio of investigative reporters who run a newsletter called "The Lone Gunman", which became it's own short-lived "X-files" spin-off. One of the investigators is even named after JFK (John Fitzgerald Byers).

I also recommend an episode from the BBC comedy series "Red Dwarf"' that poses an interesting take on JFK's assassination: "Tikka to Ride". This is by far the most outrageous take on the assassination: JFK is his own assassin via time travel! He kills himself to prevent his whoring ways from invalidating his work towards peace. This episode features my favorite (fake) quote ever attributed to Kennedy: "I, ah, have had plenty of time to reflect on my days in the White House. In all important respects I believe I did a good job. It was right to plan the pull-out of Vietnam, ah, to fight for civil rights and ah, to fight Congress to ah, put a man on the moon. It was uh, wrong, however, to, ah, act like an irresponsible jackass with all those women, and allow my enemies to wreak havoc on our nation."

The soundscape of JFK is very well done. "JFK" marks Oliver Stone's second collaboration with world-renowned composer John Williams (the first was "Born on the Fourth of July"). While William's score for "Born on the Fourth..." was less than stellar, he returns to prime form with this tense, paranoiac score. 

While he may not have convinced me in all the particulars of his conspiracy theory, Oliver Stone does effectively demonstrate that at the time of his death, Kennedy had many very influential enemies who had a lot to gain if he died. He had the whole military-industrial complex pissed at him because he was planning to pull out of Vietnam (which would make them unable to profit off the war). He had fired several key members of government who were enemies of his policies. Dallas in particular was a city in which anti-Kennedy politics had reached a fevered pitch. Lyndon Johnson was arguably the largest benefactor of JFK's assassination, inheriting the Presidency at a crucial moment in history. He used his Presidency to undo much of the liberal work JFK did, including scrapping JFK's plan to pull out of Vietnam.
There is supposedly government inside information about the assassination that will not be published for public perusal until 2029. Whatever the government's hiding, we will know then. We are given the means to rein in our government's power only 60-70 years after they've abused it. Seems like a long time to wait.

I gave JFK 10/10. It is very long, but I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. The editing was phenomenal, painting an impressionistic collage through quick cuts and lots of inserts. The recreation of real-life locations and events is meticulous if not 100% accurate. You come out of this film with the impression that you've cracked into the government's secrets and finally know what happened to JFK. Just remember to tell yourself "It's only a movie...".













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