Frost/Nixon review

 Number 552 on the top 1000 films of all time is Ron Howard's historical drama Frost/Nixon.

1970's America was rocked by the Watergate Scandal which saw Richard Nixon resign the presidency. To rehabilitate this his image, Nixon (played by Frank Langella) gives a series of tell-all interviews by English has-been talk-show host David Frost (Michael Sheen.) Kevin bacon, Rebecca Hall, Matthew McFayden and Sam Rockwell all co-star in this dramatisation of the true-life story.

Forst/Nixon reminded me of another Watergate-themed film: All the President's Men which focussed on the actual investigation into Watergate. Although I like that film on the first watch, subsequent rewatches proved it hard-going and confusing. I thought it would be a similar case here, but I'm glad to say I was wrong.

Frost-Nixon was a surprisingly gripping film especially so as it was a very talkey film, by its nature. Ron Howard employed a docu-drama esque style where he had talking heads speaking directly to the camera and providing helpful bits of exposition for dopey viewers like me.

However, what this film hinged on the most was the strength of its two leads. Sheen and Langella certainly delivered the goods. Initially, Frost seems like a deer in the headlights, woefully unprepared, as he allows Nixon to dominate the conversation. He is less Jeremy Paxman and more Graham Norton, but as the interview progresses we see his confidence build.

Frank Langella was also a worthy opponent. He was great as Richard Nixon. He rightly deserved a Best Actor nomintation, which paired well with the Tony Award he received for the original stage production of the film. Frost/Nixon began life as a theatre play written by Peter Morgan who also wrote the screenplay, receiving an Oscar nomination. True he took some creative license, but he still crafted an interesting script.

If I were to criticise anything, it would be Rebecca Hall's inclusion as Frost's girlfriend Caroline Cushing. Cushing was a rather boring and pointless character. Wait sorry. She did buy cheeseburgers for Frost.

That aside I did enjoy Frost/Nixon. it was a surprising watch but a welcome one to be sure.

All the President's Men review

 Number 325 on the top 1000 films of all time is the biographical political-drama 'All the President's Men.'

In 1972 Washington DC, five burglars are caught breaking into the headquarters Democratic National Committee within the Watergate Office Building. Reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman,) from the Washington Post are assigned to investigate the case. But they soon unravelling a conspiracy theory that goes all the way to President Nixon himself.

The Watergate Scandal was no doubt one of the biggest political fiascos of the twentieth century. After all, it did bring down Richard Nixon. To this day, he is the only American president to resign.

It was also incredibly complicated. The film was equally complicated. I've watched it twice and I feel I need a massive cork board with red string to understand all the little intricacies and nuances. Not to mention the endless litany of names that are all connected to the conspiracy theory. From Sloane - the treasurer for the Committee to Re-elect, to Colson - Nixon's special counsel, to Hunt - one of Colson's employees, the list was veritably endless.

Despite this, 'All the President's Men,' is still quite watchable. Considering much of the film is Woodward and Bernstein either talking on the phone or furiously typing on typewriters you do question how much drama could this possibly generate. The answer is a lot. The tension always remained high.

In slow-burn dramas that are low on spectacle, it is vital that you have a strong cast. With Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as the leads, that was certainly the case here. They were engaging as the two journalists thrown together to solve the case. Not believing Woodward to be experienced enough, he is paired with the time-tested Bernstein. The two journalists started as rivals, but ended as allies and friends.

I would also give a quick shout-out to Hal Holbrook who played Deepthroat - a mysterious man who became Woodward's key confidential source. We know nothing about this character except for his propensity to have conversations in shadowy car parks, but Holbrook still made him very interesting. I've only seen Holbrook in his older years, so it was nice to see him as a younger man.

All the President's Men is certainly a complicated and long film. Low on spectacle, it would be easy to dismiss it as dull. But there was enough tension bursting under the surface to make this slow-burner an interesting enough watch.