Langella & Sheen.

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2009)

The engaging power of Frost/Nixon comes from the wonderful performances of Michael Sheen and Frank Langella. Both actors in their own right are outstanding. The film is based on the interviews by Frost with Nixon, which would turn out to be a worldwide success and spectacle.
The screenplay is taut, and energetic, and through the interviews enables a reasonable documentation of the Nixon presidency. The film is somewhat hampered by its licence to embellish and create scenes to maintain allure. I am a little disappointed that it swayed somewhat from the truth.
The scene where Richard Nixon has been having a drink, and calls Frost in the middle of the night, is a complete fabrication (as stated by Frost himself), why did the writers feel the need for such spin? The very nature of Nixon himself and the prevailing interview would of been more than sufficient to engage the viewer rather than such a concoction.
The supporting cast are excellent in particular Rockwell and Bacon, and the documentary like feel gives Frost/Nixon credence, and helps convey the magnitude of the scandal of 'Watergate' which some may find difficult to envisage now.
Although blotted by its inaccuracies in order to seek suspense this is a well-paced film that delivers on the entertainment front. Langella and Sheen are so engaging that the film can only charm and captivate in equal measure.