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The Assassination of Richard Nixon

Play trailer Poster for The Assassination of Richard Nixon R Released Dec 29, 2004 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 128 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Samuel Bicke (Sean Penn) is a disillusioned salesman whose elaborate views of honesty and morality alienate him from society. He purposely turns away customers, steals from his brother and ruins relationships with his wife (Naomi Watts) and his best friend (Don Cheadle). As Samuel's life spins out of control, he pinpoints Richard Nixon as the man responsible for capitalism and plans to assassinate the president by crashing an airliner into the White House.
The Assassination of Richard Nixon

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Critics Consensus

The Assassination of Richard Nixon struggles to convey deeper meaning, but a fascinating true story and compelling Sean Penn performance are worthy compensations.

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Critics Reviews

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Geoff Pevere Toronto Star It's not just Nixon's shadow that hangs like a cloud over Assassination, it's the shadow of the bummerific era of American movies his regime spawned. Rated: 2/4 Feb 4, 2005 Full Review Liam Lacey Globe and Mail The idea that assassins are products of their times is intriguing, but The Assassination of Richard Nixon is betrayed by its ambitions and pretensions. Rated: 2.5/4 Feb 4, 2005 Full Review Terry Lawson Detroit Free Press A well-made if relatively uninvolved character study with nothing noteworthy to say. Rated: 2/4 Jan 21, 2005 Full Review Alberto Abuín Espinof The film delivers a highly enjoyable thing: Sean Penn's portentous performance. [Full Review in Spanish] Jun 28, 2019 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Debut writer/director Neils Mueller (co-writer on "Tadpole") stitches together an ambiguous meditation on the pervasive affects of government corruption during the Nixon Administration that led a Baltimore man to attempt to kill the President by hijacking Rated: C- Apr 18, 2009 Full Review Joe Lozito Big Picture Big Sound Rated: 3/4 Jul 14, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mikey B Penn does a great acting performance. The movie gives a good look at the time period and examination of that era Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/07/25 Full Review GM Not only Sean Penn but the great Jack Thompson as well! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review georgan g A long, slow burn to radical action. Sad to watch the loser lose everything. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Great to know history, Penn good. It could be better Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review John A Disturbing with misleading title. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/15/19 Full Review Audience Member "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" is about a man on a collision course; given the stark terms in which he arranges right and wrong, he will sooner or later crack up. He hasn't a clue about appropriate behavior, about how others perceive him, about what may be right but is nevertheless impossible. The movie's title has one effect before we see it, and another afterward, when we can see the grandiosity and self-deceit that it implies. What really happens is that Sam Bicke assassinates himself. Does the film have a message? I don't think it wants one. It is about the journey of a man going mad. A film can simply be a character study, as this one is. That is sufficient. A message might seem trundled in and gratuitous. Certainly our opinions of Nixon, Vietnam and the Black Panthers are irrelevant; they enter the movie only as objects of Bicke's obsessions. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Assassination of Richard Nixon

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Cast & Crew

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Niels Mueller

Director

Sean Penn

Samuel Byck

Don Cheadle

Bonny Simmons

Jack Thompson

Jack Jones

Michael Wincott

Julius Bicke

Mykelti Williamson

Harold Mann

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The Assassination of Richard Nixon

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Movie Info

Synopsis Samuel Bicke (Sean Penn) is a disillusioned salesman whose elaborate views of honesty and morality alienate him from society. He purposely turns away customers, steals from his brother and ruins relationships with his wife (Naomi Watts) and his best friend (Don Cheadle). As Samuel's life spins out of control, he pinpoints Richard Nixon as the man responsible for capitalism and plans to assassinate the president by crashing an airliner into the White House.
Director
Niels Mueller
Producer
Alfonso Cuarón, Jorge Vergara
Screenwriter
Kevin Kennedy, Niels Mueller
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
Appian Way, Anhelo Productions
Rating
R (Scene of Graphic Violence|Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 29, 2004, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 26, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA)
$697.8K
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround