Hugely Entertaining Drama

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2008)

I enjoyed Oliver Stone's "Nixon" and Anthony Hopkins' Oscar nominated portrayal was very good, yet the role was a largely negative version of the man. It was all deep paranoia and dark conspiracy, without any hint as to why Nixon was twice elected to the the highest office in the land, the 2nd time by one of the largest landslides in U.S. history.
Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon" is a fascinating view of Nixon through the perspective of the David Frost interviews. Langella's portrayal captures the insecurity and paranoia of Nixon, but also reveals a more intelligent and engaging aspect of him during his post Watergate years. I suppose this will automatically disqualify Langella from any chance of an Oscar nomination. I hope this isn't the case, because Langella's performance is on par with Helen Mirren's in "The Queen", maybe even better.
Ron Howard deserves kudos for directing this excellent movie. He's become one of Hollywood's best Directors of historical dramas. The supporting cast was great, Michael Sheen as David Frost was outstanding, and everyone else was excellent.
A truly outstanding film and for anyone with an interest in recent American history, not to be missed.