The Assassination of Richard Nixon Review
By Joe Lozito
Alone Gunman
On February 22, 1974, failed tire salesman Samuel Byck attempted to hijack a commercial jet and force it to crash into the White House. He didn't succeed and was instead gunned down before the plane left the ground. According to Niels Mueller's solid film "The Assassination of Richard Nixon", this final act was the culmination of a life consumed with frustration and failure.
Previously adapted as a character in Stephen Sondheim's recently-revived musical "Assassins", Sam Byck's life would seem a controversial choice for a world seemingly defined by the term "post-9/11". But Mr. Mueller's script concentrates on Byck as a person; a little cog in the wheel trying to make something of his life.
Byck is played by Sean Penn who proves yet again to be an actor that is always worth watching. As Byck, he turns in a tightly-coiled, restrained performance which is a welcome change from his oft-used bombast. He occupies every frame of the film and he always holds the screen. He creates Byck as a character swept away by a system that he can't understand.
Byck is a failed salesman in every aspect of his life. In scene after scene he tries to get just a small leg up on his life. Will he be able to save his marriage, succeed at his new job, or even secure a loan to start his own business? I think you know the answer. And the reason for his failure is as tragic as the events themselves.
The film is solid all around, from the direction and writing to the supporting cast, rounded out by Don Cheadle and a nearly unrecognizable Michael Wincott. Mr. Mueller owes more than a little to Martin Scorcese's much-imitated "Taxi Driver", which may explain the change in spelling from Byck to Bicke (a la Travis Bickle). The Bicke character in the film follows a similar trajectory to Robert DeNiro's infamous anti-hero, leading right up to a similar, inevitable bloodbath. That the scene here has less impact, less visceral terror than its predecessor is both the film's strength and weakness. Bicke's fall is telegraphed from the film's opening scenes (it's based on a true story, after all), but when it comes right down to making something of himself, to going out with a bang, to moving the audience, he can't even do that right.
