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Original title: Assassination of Richard Nixon, The Directed by
Niels Mueller Written by
Kevin Kennedy, Niels Mueller Cast
Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson, Brad William Henke [more]
Release Date
• USA: Dec 31, 2004
• UK: 8 Apr 2005
DVD Release Date
• R1: Apr 26, 2005
BoxOffice: $0.6M
Official Website:
The Assassination of Richard Nixon Website
MPAA Rating
Rated R for language and a scene of graphic violence. (also edited version)
Running Time
1 hour, 35 minutes
Country USA, Mexico
Studio ThinkFilm
More info on IMDb.com
Other Titles
• The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)
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The Assassination of Richard Nixon Reviews |
Penn is supposed to be needy and ingratiating in the role — a skittish, insecure bundle of nerves, stammering in a way that recalls the equally painful "I Am Sam." So at least he's playing the part the way he intended — but that doesn't necessarily mean anyone's going to want to watch him do it. [read review] C
--Christy Lemire (TheJournalNews)
This is another movie where politics trump the narrative. Penn and the historical context will generate some interest, but the film's ultimate reception is likely to be as chilly as the month in which it receives its theatrical release (December 2004). [read review] 
--James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
Penn is mostly in "I Am Sam mode" here, doing a lot of shoe-gazing and mumbly-talk, but not without adding an edge of bitter intelligence to his character; he's just too good an actor to merely repeat himself, even when the material encourages him to. [read review]
As it stands, The Assassination of Richard Nixon is a meticulous, unsettling character study that is all the stronger for its verisimilitude. Mueller won't become famous as a stylist, but he has a flair for cinematic reflections of the real world. [read review]
--Eugene Novikov (FilmBlather)
Assassination is not an uplifting movie. It’s not inspirational. It’s not even particularly moving. It is, however, an unflinchingly honest, note-perfect character-study of a man with small dreams, and even smaller rewards. [read review] B
--Jeff Wilser (TheCinemaSource)
The movie re-creates Sam’s miserable days with enough sympathy to come within hailing distance of such emblematic works of American disillusion as Arthur Miller’s "Death of a Salesman" and Saul Bellow's "Seize the Day." [read review]
--David Denby (The New Yorker)
The director and co-writer, Niels Mueller, has also done his work well, but the film feels insubstantial at 95 minutes, even though -- or maybe because -- it bristles with borrowed ideas and unavoidable associations. [read review]
The Assassination of Richard Nixon would have us both understand and empathize with its despondent protagonist. Given Bicke’s pathological, irrational avoidance of accountability, I could only do the former. [read review] 
--Nicholas Schager (FilmCritic.com)
Director Niels Mueller's attempt to create a middle-class "Taxi Driver" (he tips his hand a bit smugly by respelling Byck's name to evoke Travis Bickle) has a creepy, meticulous exactitude. [read review]
--Owen Gleiberman (Entertainment Weekly)
Unlike many films that could do with a good 30 minutes of trimming, I would have welcomed another half-hour of back story to augment "Assassination"'s spare 103 minutes of running time. [read review] 
--Elaine Perrone (eFilmCritic.com)
That The Assassination of Richard Nixon is as well directed, acted and shot as it is makes Mr. Mueller's inability to invest his film with significance all the more disappointing. [read review]
--Manohla Dargis (The New York Times)
Penn's magnetism and hesitant line delivery create what interest there is, although the whole picture suffers from a central figure who can never get it together on any level. [read review]
--Todd McCarthy (Variety)
First-time director Niels Mueller and his co-screenwriter Kevin Kennedy depict Sam's disintegration expertly and they have fashioned a well-made picture with much to like. [read review]
--Ray Bennett (Hollywod Reporter)
The brilliant subtleties of this absorbing, must-see drama are best seen through Penn, who transforms a strongly nuanced script into the greatest performance of the year. [read review]
Penn's Bicke is often so pitiable it's hard not to want to look away – but what else to expect from perhaps our most compulsively watchable contemporary actor? [read review]
--Kimberley Jones (Austin Chronicle)
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. [read review]
--Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)
'The Assassination of Richard Nixon," a slight movie and a major downer, is an acting showcase for Sean Penn. That's good, but not enough. [read review]
--Jami Bernard (New York Daily News)
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