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Directed by: Niels Mueller Starring: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle Before going into this movie, I had no idea there was any sort of assassination attempt on Richard Nixon. I had never heard of Samuel Byck (renamed Bicke for the film) or any details of his plot. As a student of history, however, I was intrigued by the title, and decided to check it out. It's not the best 10.50 I've ever spent. To get to the interested parts of the movie, it it necessary to sit through a slow, plodding first half. Penn's Bicke is antisocial to the extreme. Mueller forces us to watch a series of long, uncomfortable conversations with his friend Bonny (Cheadle) and estranged wife (Watts). We get the point that Penn's character is awkward, lonely, and depressed within about fifteen minutes. Mueller makes us sit through forty-five or so (I wasn't looking at my watch). For a 95-minute film, it feels remarkably slow. The story does pick up after Bicke is pushed over the edge. Two severe disappointments in a row drive Bicke to madness, and we see his already fragile character deteriorate. Once Penn is allowed to speak more than four words at a time, his acting skill really shines through. The movie ends abruptly, but satisfyingly. Cheadle plays Bicke's only friend, an auto mechanic. Their plan to start a business together is a main plot point. Cheadle is good, but says little. Watts is his estranged wife, and turns in a decent performance, but nothing spectacular. If you can sit through the boring first half of this movie, you will be rewarded. However, a film this short should not drag this much. RATING: 3.0 PROS: Penn is great as usual, strong second half CONS: Incredibly slow to get started, weak dialogue in the first half ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364961/
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Jan 8, 2005 06:30
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Tater Love 
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 04:23 |
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I just watched this tonight and it was very very good. Penn's acting is great, and he makes his character very believable. The character he plays, Bicke, is so sad and pathetic that it's hard to keep watching the film. It's a very powerful drama and a very sad movie, if you like that kind of movie I highly recommend it. 4.5 / 5 stars
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Jan 14, 2005 03:48
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As stated above, this movie moves slow for its first half, and picks up later on. Penn is great, and this is obviously his vehicle, but there isn't quite enough substance to make this a remarkable film. Worth a view as for an interesting history lesson and Penn's performance, but Taxi Driver does pretty much the same thing, and does it better. 3/5
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Jan 14, 2005 06:15
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I take it back. This was terrible.
Jet Black fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Jul 14, 2015 |
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Feb 13, 2005 18:53
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Just finished seeing this about 5 minutes ago. EXCELLENT film. Maybe a bit slow in a spot or two, but as a whole, it was an enjoyable 90 minutes. I felt bad for Sam throughout, and can see his point of view, at the same time being able to understand the views of everyone else. Which is why it's such a great tragedy. The ending was nicely done and a very steep finish to a fairly horizontal and slow rest of the movie. Likes: Great acting by Penn, good story, nice build. Good soundtrack too. Eh: Maybe too much of a build. Also really depressing, but at least I have something to think about the rest of the night. 4-4.5/5
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Feb 17, 2005 02:08
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 04:23 |
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The movie dragged and dragged and dragged, and never really picked up until the final scene (which everyone could see coming). I enjoyed Penn's acting very much, as i usually do, but the movie was a complete bore. 2/5
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May 25, 2005 15:53
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