September 16, 2009
Sean Penn puts in one of his best performances to date in this highly underrated thriller based on true life events.
Sean Penn,
Don Cheadle,
Jack Thompson,
Michael Wincott,
Mykelti Williamson
... see more 
The true story of a man who, on February 22, 1974, was thwarted from an ambitious plan for political assassination provides the basis for this striking psychological drama. Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a ... read more
DVD Release Date: April 26, 2005
Stats: 865 reviews
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Flixster Reviews (865)
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May 1, 2009"I am but a grain of sand. The meek shall not inherit the earth. The earth belongs to the bullies who do not care how they get to the top."
A film inspired by a true story about the life of an ordinary man who plotted t... read more -
December 18, 2008"The mad story of a true man."
Sam Bicke (Sean Penn) is a salesman for an office-supply company whose life is slowly beginning to unravel. Bicke's job is going nowhere, his wife, Marie (Naomi Watts), has left him, and his boss (Jack Thompson) keeps pushing self-help boo... read more -
November 5, 2008Based on true events that also inspired Taxi Driver this is the story of a man who is slowly losing control over his life on pretty much every level and starts blaming society and the government, culminating in a crazy assassination attempt on the president of the USA. Sean Penn ... read more
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April 21, 2008Typical great performances from Penn and Cheadle, this is not some kind of normal "pyscho killer goes insane and wants to kill the president" story. It's not a great movie, but not at all a bad one. It's a very good film.
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March 26, 2008To sum up "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" in two words: Sean Penn. It really is all about him! I think I'm right in saying he's in every single scene, so the success or failure of the film is directly proportional to the quality of his performance. Just as well he's magnific... read more
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March 21, 2008Inspired by a true story this slow moving films, shows a fine escalating performances by Sean Penn. The angel in which this film was shown was quite unique and a story well told.
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December 12, 2007No one hits rock bottom like Sean Penn, in a contained but powerful performance of a deeply disturbed man in a hopeless crusade to shake the foundations of the ever indifferent government. Intense, grief and shocking hidden gem in the same vein of the anti-hero and suicidal glory... read more
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August 10, 2007When an obsessive yet vulnerable man loses his family, job and later dreams while those he sees as cheats and liars always seem to succeed, he decides to kill the man he sees as the figurehead of the corruption of the american system; Richard Nixon. Penn is very good as a man wh... read more
Critic Reviews
February 11, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
February 4, 2005
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. Full Review
February 4, 2005
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. Full Review
January 21, 2005
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
A well-made if relatively uninvolved character study with nothing noteworthy to say. Full Review
January 21, 2005
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
Features a bravura performance by Penn as a frustrated and deluded loser, but there isn't much else to recommend. The story is a one-note drag. Full Review
January 21, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Assassination is an odd little movie. It's exceptionally well-done but doesn't attain the levels of meaning for which it seems to be striving.
January 21, 2005
Michael Booth, Denver Post
The always remarkable Penn infuses Sam Bicke with more originality than the plot allowed. Mueller took a real-life incident now lost in the history books and re-created a sympathetic back story for Bi... Full Review
January 21, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
The movie really misses something by ignoring poor Officer Ramsburg, and also the other cop who intervened. I could see how that movie would work: It could cross-cut dynamically between the mentally i... Full Review
January 20, 2005
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
The problem is, Assassination just makes you think of other, better films that have tackled similar subjects. Full Review
January 20, 2005
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Has neither the freaky electricity of Taxi Driver nor the gloomy resonance of Death of a Salesman.
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