Dir. Niels Mueller, 2004, USA/Mexico, 95 mins Cast: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle The first reaction on hearing the title of this film is: "The what of whom? Did I miss a news broadcast?" However, it seems in 1974 at the height of the Watergate scandal, a furniture salesman called Samuel Bicke attempted to hijack an aircraft and fly it into the White House; prophetic indeed. His aim was to kill President Nixon and make an indelible mark in the history books. He failed at both.
In fact his background story only came to light because he sent tapes of his thoughts and intentions to famous people he felt an affinity with, including composer Leonard Bernstein. The story captured the imagination of writer/director Niels Mueller, who was doing some research into an idea for a film on an assassin, and he developed it into this film.
Bicke as played by Sean Penn is your archetypal loser. He loses his family, his job and his dream in quick succession, and finally loses his mind. It is an uncomfortable film to watch - it's never easy to see the little guy kicked when he's down and the filmmakers make that point well, without trying to turn him into some kind of avenging anti-hero.
There is no doubt though that this guy is becoming more unhinged - the camerawork is always showing us his point of view and as his sanity deteriorates so does his, and our, view of the world.
However, it's Penn's performance that gives us the deep insight into what drives an assassin to that single act of madness. He shines by leaving behind his frequent storm and bluster performances, and shows Bicke to be vulnerable, very naive and driven to insanity by the grief over the loss of his family and his dream.
He gets fired from his job as an office furniture salesman when he refuses to tell even the whitest lie to close the deal. Instead of looking for another position, he decides to pursue his dream and applies for a loan to start his own mobile tyre repair shop out of a converted school bus. He is forced to go cap in hand to the very establishment he is beginning to hate and the scene where Penn explains his business plan, or lack of it, using childlike, crayon drawings could have been laughable in other hands. Here it is extremely poignant.
In fact, it is difficult not to feel sadness for Bicke, even though we know he is a potential killer, because the saddest irony of all is that what he thought would be the one act he would be remembered for, actually made no more than a tiny blip in the public consciousness. His story was buried under the constant, all-consuming coverage of the Watergate hearings, the very television coverage that had helped Bicke to choose his victim. He saw Nixon's venality and betrayal as an example of everything that was wrong with America.
That said, those who see this film will certainly remember him. The attempted hijack and the shootings have a shock value that stays with you after you leave the cinema.
Naomi Watts, plays Bicke's estranged wife, giving us frequent hints to her estranged husband's unpredictable nature. Don Cheadle is his long-suffering friend and potential business partner, Bonny Simmons. Both of these actors give solid performances lending the film an almost documentary realism. Cheadle, in particular, is very impressive in his role as a black man who accepts the difficulty of trying to start his own business at a time when civil-rights groups were still struggling against oppression. But his character is also practical enough to try to convince Bicke of the importance of having a job and putting food on the family table.
The film is intense, but not completely without humour. Penn's handling of those scenes is particularly skilful. For instance, Bicke's other great passion is in trying to champion those on the fringe of society no matter what colour, creed or class they may be. He is moved to contact the Black Panthers as he sees himself as a potential member only excluded by colour. Penn explains his theory of a "zebra" group with just the right mix of eccentricity, emotion and morality. It's to Penn's credit that the scene never descends into farce.
The Assassination of Richard Nixon adds another memorable performance to his cache. It also makes his recent comment that he is again giving up acting for a couple of years all the more exasperating.
Joyce Dundas
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