Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- oppressive
- paranoid
- serious movie night
- political history viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film a stark, committed, and psychologically persuasive portrait of a man descending into madness, though its relentless pacing divided some viewers.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Samuel Bicke's workplace humiliation, failed business plan, divorce, and resentment toward Nixon progressively merge into an assassination plot.
The 1972 setting, references to the Vietnam era, Nixon's broken promises, and distrust of banks and institutions frame Bicke's crisis within national disillusionment.
Bicke's failed role as salesman, husband, brother, and prospective business partner fuels his need to reclaim status through spectacular violence.
The film confines Bicke within humiliating workplaces, strained domestic spaces, financial offices, and the escalating airport hijacking.
Films like The Assassination of Richard Nixon, and why
Taxi Driver
shared fact-based political alienation, psychological deterioration, and stark character-centered drama
The King of Comedy
shared portrait of an isolated, unstable protagonist whose personal grievances turn toward political violence
The Parallax View
shared paranoid political thriller atmosphere, institutional distrust, and escalating personal crisis
Dog Day Afternoon
shared 1970s American disillusionment, alienated masculinity, and morally troubling ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- Niels Mueller
- Release Date
- 2004-05-17
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (314)
Cast
- Sean Penn
- Don Cheadle
- Jack Thompson
- Mykelti Williamson
- Michael Wincott
- Naomi Watts
- Nick Searcy
- Brad William Henke
- Tracy Middendorf
- Lily Knight
Common questions
- What is The Assassination of Richard Nixon about?
- A fact-based 1970s political thriller follows a failing salesman whose private humiliations harden into a desperate plan to strike at the presidency.
- What is The Assassination of Richard Nixon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Assassination of Richard Nixon as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Assassination of Richard Nixon violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Assassination of Richard Nixon as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Assassination of Richard Nixon?
- Critics broadly found the film a stark, committed, and psychologically persuasive portrait of a man descending into madness, though its relentless pacing divided some viewers.
- Which films are like The Assassination of Richard Nixon?
- Films with a similar feel include Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, The Parallax View, and Dog Day Afternoon.
- How long is The Assassination of Richard Nixon?
- The Assassination of Richard Nixon runs 95 minutes.
