Based on a true story,
THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON focuses on
Sam Bicke (Sean Penn), a desperate "everyman" who, in
1974, was driven to attempt to assassinate the President.
Sam is determined to receive his share of the American
Dream, but in a society worn out by political corruption
and the Vietnam War, there is not much room left for
dreamers. Sam's world unravels as the Watergate
scandal exposes culpability at the highest levels,
as images of Nixon flood the airwaves. In the meantime,
the finality of Bicke's separation from his
wife (Naomi Watts) and their two young children becomes
inescapable. Penn delivers a quietly explosive, awards-caliber
performance in THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON.
Though set in a divided America of twenty years ago the film, and particularly its shattering dénouement, achieves an eerie resonance in our equally conflicted, post-9/11 era.