| Photos (See all 45 | slideshow) |
| Anthony Hopkins | ... | Richard M. Nixon | |
| Joan Allen | ... | Pat Nixon | |
| Powers Boothe | ... | Alexander Haig | |
| Ed Harris | ... | E. Howard Hunt | |
| Bob Hoskins | ... | J. Edgar Hoover | |
| E.G. Marshall | ... | John Mitchell | |
| David Paymer | ... | Ron Ziegler | |
| David Hyde Pierce | ... | John Dean | |
| Paul Sorvino | ... | Henry Kissinger | |
| Mary Steenburgen | ... | Hannah Nixon | |
| J.T. Walsh | ... | John Ehrlichman | |
| James Woods | ... | H.R. Haldeman | |
| Brian Bedford | ... | Clyde Tolson | |
| Kevin Dunn | ... | Charles Colson | |
| Fyvush Finkel | ... | Murray Chotiner | |
| Annabeth Gish | ... | Julie Nixon Eisenhower | |
| Tom Bower | ... | Frank Nixon | |
| Tony Goldwyn | ... | Harold Nixon | |
| Larry Hagman | ... | 'Jack Jones' | |
| Edward Herrmann | ... | Nelson Rockefeller (as Ed Herrmann) | |
| Madeline Kahn | ... | Martha Mitchell | |
| Dan Hedaya | ... | Trini Cardoza | |
| Tony Lo Bianco | ... | Johnny Roselli | |
| Saul Rubinek | ... | Herb Klein | |
| Robert Beltran | ... | Frank Sturgis, Watergate Burglar | |
| John Cunningham | ... | Bob | |
| John Diehl | ... | Gordon Liddy | |
| John C. McGinley | ... | Earl in Training Film | |
| Michael Chiklis | ... | TV Director | |
| David Barry Gray | ... | Richard Nixon, 19 Years Old | |
| Joanna Going | ... | Young Student | |
| George Plimpton | ... | President's Lawyer | |
| Lenny Vullo | ... | Bernard Barker, Watergate Burglar | |
| Corey Carrier | ... | Richard Nixon, 12 Years Old | |
| Ronald von Klaussen | ... | James McCord, Watergate Burglar | |
| John Bedford Lloyd | ... | Cuban Man | |
| Kamar de los Reyes | ... | Eugenio Martinez, Watergate Burglar | |
| Enrique Castillo | ... | Virgilio Gonzales, Watergate Burglar | |
| James Pickens Jr. | ... | Black Orator (as James Pickens) | |
| Victor Rivers | ... | Cuban Plumber | |
| Bridgette Wilson-Sampras | ... | Sandy (as Bridgitte Wilson) | |
| Drew Snyder | ... | Moderator | |
| Ric Young | ... | Mao Tse-Tung | |
| Sean Stone | ... | Donald Nixon | |
| Joshua Preston | ... | Arthur Nixon | |
| Ian Calip | ... | Football Player | |
| Jack Wallace | ... | Football Coach | |
| Julie Condra | ... | Young Pat Nixon (as Julie Condra Douglas) | |
| Annette Helde | ... | Happy Rockefeller | |
| Howard Platt | ... | Lawyer at Party | |
| Mike Kennedy | ... | Convention Announcer | |
| Harry Murphy | ... | Fan #1 | |
| Suzanne Schnulle Murphy | ... | Fan #2 | |
| Michael Kaufman | ... | Fan #3 | |
| Pamela Dickerson | ... | Girlfriend | |
| O'Neal Compton | ... | Texas Man | |
| Chris Renna | ... | Family Doctor (as Dr. Christian Renna) | |
| Wilson Cruz | ... | Joaquin, Hoover's Servant | |
| Mikey Stone | ... | Edward Nixon | |
| Robert Marshall | ... | Spiro Agnew | |
| Marley Shelton | ... | Tricia Nixon Cox | |
| James Karen | ... | Bill Rogers | |
| Richard Fancy | ... | Mel Laird | |
| Peter Carlin | ... | Student #1 | |
| Michelle Krusiec | ... | Student #2 | |
| Wass Stevens | ... | Protester | |
| Tom Nicoletti | ... | Secret Service Agent #1 | |
| Chuck Pfeiffer | ... | Secret Service Agent #2 | |
| Alexander Butterfield | ... | White House Staffer (also archive footage) (as Alex Butterfield) | |
| Mark Steines | ... | White House Security | |
| Bai Ling | ... | Chinese Interpreter | |
| Peter P. Starson Jr. | ... | Air Force One Steward | |
| Jon Tenney | ... | Reporter #1 | |
| Julie Araskog | ... | Reporter #2 | |
| Ray Wills | ... | Reporter #3 | |
| John Bellucci | ... | Reporter #4 | |
| Zoey Zimmerman | ... | Reporter #5 | |
| Mary Rudolph | ... | Rosemary Woods | |
| Clayton Townsend | ... | Floor Manager #1 | |
| Donna Dixon | ... | Maureen Dean | |
| John Stockwell | ... | Staffer #1 | |
| Charles Haugk | ... | Staffer #2 | |
| Boris Sichkin | ... | Leonid Brezhnev | |
| Fima Noveck | ... | Andre Gromyko | |
| Raissa Danilova | ... | Russian Interpreter | |
| Marilyn Rockafellow | ... | Helen Smith | |
| Bill Bolender | ... | Bethesda Doctor | |
| Melinda Renna | ... | Bethesda Nurse | |
| Tony Plana | ... | Manolo Sanchez | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Dean Acheson | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Salvador Allende | ... | Himself - with Mother and Infant (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Robert Bork | ... | Himself - at Time of Saturday Night Massacre (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Arthur Bremer | ... | Himself - Shooting Wallace (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| David Brinkley | ... | Himself - Reporting FBI Findings on Dean and Hunt (archive sound) (uncredited) | |
| Edmund G. Brown | ... | Himself - Running Against Nixon / Meeting with JFK (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Barbara Bush | ... | Herself - Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| George Bush | ... | Himself - Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Jimmy Carter | ... | Himself - Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Rosalynn Carter | ... | Herself - Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Fidel Castro | ... | Himself - Smoking Cigar (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Whittaker Chambers | ... | Himself - Testifying before HUAC (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Bill Clinton | ... | Himself - Eulogizing Nixon (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | ... | Herself - Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Nellie Connally | ... | Herself - Leaving Air Force One after JFK (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Archibald Cox | ... | Himself - with Elliott Richardson (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Edward Cox | ... | Himself - at Helicopter after Resignation (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Nancy Davis | ... | Herself - Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Bob Dole | ... | Himself - Eulogizing Nixon (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | ... | Himself - Returning from WW2 / Throwing Out First Ball / Handshake with JFK (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Mamie Eisenhower | ... | Herself - with Ike at Republican Convention (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Daniel Ellsberg | ... | Himself - Discussing Prison Sentence (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Sam Ervin | ... | Himself - at Senate Watergate Hearing (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Betty Ford | ... | Herself - when Gerald Becomes President after Nixon Resignation / Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Gerald Ford | ... | Himself - Sworn in as President after Nixon Resignation / Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Helen Gahagan | ... | Herself (runs against Nixon) (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Angie Gray | ... | Kennedy Staffer (uncredited) | |
| Michael Haddad | ... | White House Worker (uncredited) | |
| Richard Helms | ... | Himself - Leaning Forward to Testify (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Alger Hiss | ... | Himself - Testifying before HUAC (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Lyndon Johnson | ... | Himself - in First Speech as President / Attending JFK Funeral / Declining Renomination (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| John Kennedy Jr. | ... | Himself - Arriving for JFK Funeral with LBJ (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Eunice Kennedy Shriver | ... | Herself - Arriving for JFK Funeral with Ted (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Caroline Kennedy | ... | Herself - Arriving for JFK Funeral with LBJ (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Ethel Kennedy | ... | Herself - behind RFK during Final Speech (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Jacqueline Kennedy | ... | Herself - with Jack in Dallas / Arriving for JFK Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| John F. Kennedy | ... | Himself - Campaigning / Debating Nixon / Beginning Visit to Dallas (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Robert F. Kennedy | ... | Himself - in Final Speech / Attending JFK Funeral / Laying Mortally Wounded (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Ted Kennedy | ... | Himself - Wearing Neck Brace after Chappaquiddick (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Nikita Khrushchev | ... | Himself - Wearing White Hat (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| King George VI | ... | Himself - with Truman (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Martin Luther King | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Albert Leon | ... | Ringmaster (uncredited) | |
| Dave Mallow | ... | Newscaster Voice (voice) (uncredited) | |
| Zedong Mao | ... | Himself - in the 1940s (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Joseph McCarthy | ... | Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| George McGovern | ... | Himself - Facing the Press (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Robert McNamara | ... | Himself - Laughing (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Nicole Nagel | ... | Kissinger's Date (uncredited) | |
| Pat Nixon | ... | Herself - Leaving White House after Resignation (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Richard Nixon | ... | Himself - Leaving White House after Resignation (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Tricia Nixon | ... | Herself - at Helicopter after Resignation (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| J. Robert Oppenheimer | ... | Himself - Smoking Cigarette (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Lee Harvey Oswald | ... | Himself - in Custody (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi | ... | Himself - Handshake with Diplomat (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Michael Pasby | ... | News Reporter at Press Conference (uncredited) | |
| Ronald Reagan | ... | Himself - in Pro-Nixon Speech / Attending Nixon Funeral (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Elliot Richardson | ... | Himself - with Archibald Cox (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Eleanor Roosevelt | ... | Herself - Wearing Fur Coat (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | ... | Himself - with Socialite (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Ethel Rosenberg | ... | Herself - Handcuffed with Husband (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Julius Rosenberg | ... | Himself - Handcuffed with Wife (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| William Ruckelshaus | ... | Himself - at Time of Saturday Night Massacre (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Adlai Stevenson | ... | Himself - Facing Microphones (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Oliver Stone | ... | Closing Narration (voice) (uncredited) | |
| Robert Taylor | ... | Himself - Testifying before HUAC (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Harry S. Truman | ... | Himself - with King George (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| George Wallace | ... | Himself - Shot by Bremer / in Wheelchair (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Earl Warren | ... | Himself - Swearing in JFK (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| Breck Wilson | ... | Hippie (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Oliver Stone | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Stephen J. Rivele | (written by) & | |
| Christopher Wilkinson | (written by) & | |
| Oliver Stone | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Dan Halsted | .... | co-producer | |
| Eric Hamburg | .... | co-producer | |
| Richard Rutowski | .... | associate producer | |
| Oliver Stone | .... | producer | |
| Clayton Townsend | .... | producer | |
| Andrew G. Vajna | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| John Williams | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Robert Richardson | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Brian Berdan | |||
| Hank Corwin | |||
Casting by | |||
| Billy Hopkins | |||
| Heidi Levitt | |||
| Mary Vernieu | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Victor Kempster | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Richard F. Mays | |||
| Donald B. Woodruff | (as Donald Woodruff) | ||
| Margery Zweizig | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Merideth Boswell | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Richard Hornung | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| John Blake | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Cydney Cornell | .... | hair designer | |
| Mindy Hall | .... | makeup artist | |
| Mary L. Mastro | .... | hair stylist | |
| Gordon J. Smith | .... | special makeup effects artist (as Gordon Smith) | |
| Renate Leuschner | .... | wig maker (uncredited) | |
| Raymond Mackintosh | .... | special makeup effects artist (uncredited) | |
| Jay McClennen | .... | prosthetic technician (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| William H. Brown | .... | post-production supervisor (as Bill Brown) | |
| Tova Laiter | .... | executive in charge of production | |
| Lenny Vullo | .... | unit production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Maggie Murphy | .... | second assistant director | |
| Scott Andrew Robertson | .... | second second assistant director (as Scott Robertson) | |
| David Sardi | .... | first assistant director | |
| Meta Valentic | .... | dga trainee (as Meta A. Puttkammer) | |
| Philip C. Pfeiffer | .... | second unit director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Henry Alberti | .... | set designer | |
| Fred Arbegast | .... | chief sculptor | |
| Sarah Bowen | .... | art department coordinator | |
| Jason Bryant | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Jon J. Bush | .... | swing gang boss | |
| Dennis Butterworth | .... | greensman | |
| Gary Clause | .... | propmaker gang boss | |
| Lou Economides | .... | labor foreman | |
| Kevin M. Gannon | .... | assistant props | |
| Michael R. Gannon | .... | assistant property master | |
| Bobby Joe Garren | .... | greensman | |
| Carmine Goglia | .... | stand-by painter (as Carmen Goglia) | |
| Karen Higgins | .... | general foreman | |
| Mike Holowach | .... | swing gang boss | |
| Peter J. Kelly | .... | set designer | |
| Bruce Kerner | .... | scenic supervisor | |
| Roger Knight | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Michael Levitre | .... | sculptor (as Mike Levitre) | |
| Sean R. MacCaul | .... | toolman | |
| Louis Marquis | .... | plaster foreman | |
| Stacey S. McIntosh | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Ryan T. Mennealy | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Samuel 'Buddy' Nalbone III | .... | construction shop manager | |
| William A. Petrotta | .... | property master | |
| David C. Potter | .... | lead man | |
| Paul M. Rohrbaugh III | .... | paint foreman | |
| Tommy Samona | .... | second lead man (as Anthony Samona) | |
| Jerry Sargent | .... | propmaker foreman | |
| Kirk Starbird | .... | sculptor | |
| Rob Stevens | .... | construction estimator | |
| Charles Vassar | .... | set designer (as Charlie Vassar) | |
| G. Roger Abell | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Todd Bennett | .... | plaster foreman (uncredited) | |
| Michael Denering | .... | scenic artist (uncredited) | |
| J. Bryan Holloway | .... | sculptor (uncredited) | |
| Steven Kissick | .... | carpenter (uncredited) | |
| Mark A. Mancinelli | .... | construction foreman (uncredited) | |
| Lisa K. Sessions | .... | assistant set decorator (uncredited) | |
| Michael Vojvoda | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| F. Lee Stone | .... | special effects | |
| Robert Calvert | .... | special effects foreman (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Michael Aguilar | .... | digital artist | |
| Daniel Chuba | .... | visual effects producer | |
| William S. Conner | .... | optical: VCE | |
| Joseph Conti | .... | digital artist | |
| Bryan Cooke | .... | digital artist | |
| David Emerson | .... | optical supervisor: VCE | |
| Brian Griffin | .... | digital supervisor | |
| Todd Hall | .... | optical: VCE | |
| Christer Hokanson | .... | optical effects supervisor | |
| Carlin Kmetz | .... | digital matte paintings | |
| Peter Kuran | .... | visual effects | |
| Chris Loudon | .... | optical effects coordinator | |
| Jo Martin | .... | editorial: VCE | |
| Marilyn Nave | .... | production coordinator: VCE | |
| Mark Sullivan | .... | digital matte paintings | |
| Pam Vick | .... | digital artist | |
| Larry Weiss | .... | digital artist: Hammerhead | |
| Brian Hanable | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Charles Grisham | .... | stunts | |
| Don Ruffin | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Kimberly Adams-Galligan | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Mark Bridges | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Steve Ellsworth | .... | key costumer | |
| Tricia Gray | .... | costumer | |
| Michelle Kurpaska | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Deedee Montesanto | .... | set costumer | |
| Valerie T. O'Brien | .... | set costumer | |
| Steffani Lincecum | .... | costume cutter and fitter (uncredited) | |
| Cookie Lopez | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
| Ellen Ryba | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Scott Griffin | .... | apprentice editor | |
| Jennifer Neysa Jew | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Bob Kaiser | .... | color timer | |
| Alan Z. McCurdy | .... | assistant editor | |
| Thomas J. Nordberg | .... | associate editor | |
| Alex Olivares | .... | assistant editor: avid | |
| James Stellar Jr. | .... | assistant editor | |
| Calvin Wimmer | .... | assistant editor | |
| Pamela Jule Yuen | .... | assistant editor | |
| Kimberly Adams | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Budd Carr | .... | executive music producer | |
| Sandy DeCrescent | .... | music contractor (as Sandy De Crescent) | |
| Amy Dunn | .... | associate music supervisor | |
| Frank Macchia | .... | music preparation | |
| Kelly Mahan-Jaramillo | .... | assistant music editor | |
| Shawn Murphy | .... | music scoring mixer | |
| Sylvia Nestor | .... | associate music supervisor | |
| John Neufeld | .... | orchestrator | |
| Chris Tedesco | .... | musician: trumpet | |
| Kenneth Wannberg | .... | music editor (as Ken Wannberg) | |
| Tom Boyd | .... | musician: oboe soloist (uncredited) | |
| Tim Morrison | .... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) | |
| Conrad Pope | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| James Thatcher | .... | musician: French horn (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Wayne Roberts | .... | transportation captain | |
| Eddie Lee Voelker | .... | transportation coordinator | |
Other crew | |||
| Sashy Bogdanovich | .... | research assistant | |
| Alexander Butterfield | .... | technical consultant | |
| Ian Calip | .... | office production assistant | |
| Jennifer Clark | .... | accounting assistant | |
| Christian Clarke | .... | set production assistant | |
| Mindy J. Cole | .... | assistant: Mr. Halsted (as Mindy Cole) | |
| Kyle Cooper | .... | title designer: main and end titles | |
| John Dean | .... | technical consultant | |
| Ann Marie Digioia | .... | office production assistant | |
| Jeff Flach | .... | location manager | |
| Carol Flaisher | .... | location manager: Washington D.C. | |
| Christine C. Fransen | .... | production coordinator (as Christine Fransen) | |
| Nicolas Goddet | .... | set production assistant | |
| Dori Greenberg | .... | set production assistant | |
| Basil Grillo | .... | accounting assistant | |
| Deirdre Horgan | .... | script supervisor | |
| Nicholas Irwin | .... | second assistant accountant | |
| Eddie Kish | .... | assistant: Mr. Stone | |
| Albert Leon | .... | set production assistant | |
| Arthur Manson | .... | producer's representative | |
| Carla Meyer | .... | additional dialect coach | |
| Suzanne Schnulle Murphy | .... | first assistant accountant (as Sue Schnulle Murphy) | |
| John M. Newman | .... | technical advisor (as John Newman) | |
| Sandra Noriega | .... | location production assistant | |
| Darrin O'Hanlon | .... | production secretary | |
| Amy Pearson | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| David Pomier | .... | location assistant (as Dave Pomier) | |
| Ted Rae | .... | effects set supervisor | |
| Chris Renna | .... | production physician (as Dr. Christian Renna) | |
| John Riley | .... | set production assistant | |
| Michael Riley | .... | title designer: main and end titles | |
| Concepcion Roca | .... | location production assistant | |
| Denyse Rossi | .... | payroll accountant | |
| Christopher Weills Scheer | .... | project consultant | |
| Robert Scheer | .... | project consultant | |
| John P. Sears | .... | technical consultant | |
| Michael Singer | .... | unit publicist | |
| Rachel Smith | .... | set production assistant | |
| Barbara-Ann Stein | .... | controller | |
| Sunday Stevens | .... | assistant: Mr. Townsend | |
| Cecil Stoughton | .... | archive source (as Cecil W. Stoughton) | |
| Kayla Thames | .... | assistant location manager | |
| Annie Tien | .... | assistant: Mr. Stone | |
| Lucas Van Alen | .... | production secretary | |
| Nadia Venesse | .... | dialogue coach | |
| Keenan Werner | .... | location production assistant | |
| Ted Yonenaka | .... | craft service | |
| Ian Abercrombie | .... | adr loop group (uncredited) | |
| Lisa Marie Boiko | .... | stand-in: Madeline Kahn (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Burn | .... | assistant location manager (uncredited) | |
| David Cohen | .... | mold maker foreman (uncredited) | |
| Jim Davidson | .... | production representative (uncredited) | |
| Claudia Eastman | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| Linda Klein | .... | medical technical advisor (uncredited) | |
| Michael Kolko | .... | accountant (uncredited) | |
| Tom Lent | .... | adr voice (uncredited) | |
| Bill McCamey | .... | construction nurse (uncredited) | |
| Keith McNulty | .... | teleprompter operator (uncredited) | |
| Charlie Puritano | .... | researcher (uncredited) | |
| Shannon Rawls | .... | security officer (uncredited) | |
| Carol Riggins | .... | animal trainer (uncredited) | |
| Azita Zendel | .... | assistant: Oliver Stone (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| Andrew Harland Jr. | .... | special thanks | |
| Erica Schwartz | .... | special thanks | |
| Louis Stone | .... | dedicatee | |
| Stanley Weiser | .... | special thanks | |
| Robert Yamamoto | .... | special thanks (as Rob Yamamoto) | |
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| Frost/Nixon | Milk | Sunrise at Campobello | Citizen Kane | JFK |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Biography section | IMDb USA section |
I will start by saying I am an Oliver Stone fan. For some particular reason though I did not expect to like this movie but obviously I did. He actually unexpectedly gave a very fair depiction of Nixon. Nixon really transformed before my eyes in here. That was really something special to see.
The acting was quite good. Anthony Hopkins though totally uplifted this movie. I could imagine many people saying his performance was over-the-top or a bit too surreal at times. Yet that is what really made his performance so amazing. The way he was able to transform the many crazy and totally off the wall aspects of Nixon and make them into a reality. To me as the movie went on I felt I was in some way able to see his paranoia, anxiety, thirst for power and just the simple fact of wanting to be liked. I could see he was more of a troubled and vulnerable man than a monster. He never quite connected with anybody which made him bitter and fueled his paranoia and greed even more. To me Hopkins portrayed this all perfectly, all the complexities and inner feelings of Nixon. Hopkins slipped into this role in way that you rarely see. He became Nixon, and at times I was speechless or should I say thoughtless watching him portray such an important figure in such a way. More and more I felt sorry for Nixon, as he looked more and more like a schizophrenic. To me this role was more psychologically bone-chilling than his role as Hannibal Lechter in Silence of the Lambs and I have no problem debating that.
The rest of the cast was quite good as well. Joan Allen was very good in showing the complex relationship/marriage she had with Richard Nixon. James Woods freaked me out at times displaying that pure evil and hatred at times that Hopkins showed as Nixon. Paul Sorvino was very good as Henry Kissinger. Mary Steenburgen was interesting to watch in the very limited time she played in here. The two actors though other than Hopkins though that really stood out to me were Bob Hoskins and Sam Waterston. Despite Hoskins not giving an amazing performance and having very limited time he gave me chills just seeing J. Edgar Hoover being portrayed in some sort of way. Sam Waterston despite being limited to really just one scene was even more chilling than the rest of the cast(excluding Hopkins) combined in that one moment. That moment was one of the most intense face to face scenes that I have ever seen. It was so memorable.
The directing was very good. It was not the best I have seen from Oliver Stone but it was up there. For the first 45 minutes or so I was a bit confused about what was happening and the flow of the movie but I got used to it. The first portion of the movie did feel unbalanced at times but the feel of the movie got better as it wore on. Going back to that one scene between Sam Waterston and Anthony Hopkins, I felt this scene was one of the best directed and written scenes I have seen from Oliver Stone or anyone ever. That scene was a microcosm of the movie. The motion-sickness, mind scrambling, paranoid feeling of that scene captured the entire movie. The feeling of even seeing the president himself being treated like a puppet, despite not that shocking, was mind numbing to watch. That scene was true testament to the writing and directing abilities of Oliver Stone.
The writing was also very good throughout. It seemed as if everything Stone wanted to get across got across. The writing was not amazing but it certainly served it duty. The cinematography was great though. Stone always knows how to get his point across in the way he photographs a movie even if all of other aspects of the movie fail. That dark Oliver Stonish feeling kept on creeping in on every scene, but also that dark psychological feeling that he had put in Born On the Fourth of July and Platoon also was felt through the cinematography. The music by John Williams, who always knows how to capture a moment musically, was simply perfect in here again.
I can understand this movie being boring to a lot of people or it being considered propaganda. Yet I think this movie is an overlooked masterpiece. Just seeing Anthony Hopkins perform as Nixon is a good enough reason to see this movie. He took control of this movie by force and took it to another level. Despite this being an Oliver Stone movie it is more fair than you would think. Of course this movie may have a few conspiracy theories included in it but Oliver Stone never forces his theories on people. There is a reason why at the beginning at every movie he puts a disclaimer saying that not everything in his movies are facts. Despite it being great I don't know if this is a movie for everyone. This movie seems to be crazy and surreal but isn't that how life seems to be at times as well?