Nixon

Maybe it’s me, but whenever I read anything about the work of Oliver Stone, I rarely see Nixon mentioned alongside such films as J.F.K., Natural Born Killers, Platoon, or even The Doors. This is a shame that can be easily rectified with this new DVD (The “Election Year Edition”) that adds 28 minutes on to the already long three hour run time and while some may be feeling some bloat here, I was fascinated from start to finish. I remember first seeing the film back in 1995 and the shock I felt as I watched Anthony Hopkins as the disgraced president, mainly because they look nothing alike. By the time the credits rolled, I was convinced that he had channeled the spirit of his character with all his mannerisms, facial ticks and the perpetually sweaty upper lip. In fact, all the actors pull off some great work here – Joan Allen as the brittle first lady, Paul Sorvino as Henry Kissinger, Powers Boothe as Alexander Haig, David Hyde Pierce as John Dean….the list goes on, but Hopkins is worth the price of admission alone.

Stone touches upon Nixon’s Quaker upbringing and a handful of other life events, but the centerpiece of the film is Watergate and the cover-up that was his Waterloo. He’s portrayed as a fairly unlikable guy who grew increasingly bitter after losing the 1960 presidential bid to John Kennedy, and whose increasing frustration and paranoia led to a series of illegal activities, such as wiretaps, sabotage and burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. When Nixon realizes that the secret Oval Office tapes are going to be subpoenaed as evidence in his impeachment hearings, he listens back to them in a kind of fever dream, fueled by booze and hate and it’s here where Stone uses flashbacks to reenact the circumstances that let the president and his team to some extremely bad decisions. The irony is, everyone thought the events of 1973 were so horrible at the time, but compared to the policies and behavior of the Bush administration, Nixon doesn’t look that bad. It certainly doesn’t make the Republicans look good and during an election year that could be helpful, but ultimately, we’re being set up for W, Stone’s new biopic that should have the staff of the White House gritting their teeth and John McCain more than a little concerned if the Democrats can successfully link his record to George W’s. 

Posted in DVD Reviews, Reviews