Its the Rocky of political dramas

Rating: 9/10 (20 February 2009)

If anyone were to do justice to a role that deserves justice done to it its Frank Langella as Richard Nixon. There isn't a second in the gorgeously crafted film that he loses focus and while he doesn't look like the man himself to a degree he certainly embodies the character, as does the supporting cast. Michael Sheen flawless and the self obsessed talk show host attempting to exonerate Nixon. The real triumph however comes in the form of the direction. Ron Howard has undoubtedly brought his a game to this. There isn't a moment of boredom simply because of the fact that its films as such a quick pace it feels impossible to reach that level of boredom.
The reason this film works so effortlessly as it does is due to the fact that, unlike many other historical dramas, it doesn't feel like a history lesson. Anyone with a pet peeve for this sort of historical account will still find enjoyment in Frost/Nixon because it's just so goddamn entertaining, with a pacing to rival any Rocky movie.
The director Ron Howard shoots his movie with such an energy and such resemblance to, as I said before, a boxing match that it's no wonder this is one of the front runners at this years Oscars. It may climax like a Rocky film, but doesn't end like one. There are more words to be said, and you're glad for every one.
Hollywood heavyweight Ron Howard adapts playwright Peter Morgan's West End hit for the silver screen with this feature focusing on the 1977 television interviews between journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) and former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). At the time Nixon sat down with Frost to discuss the sordid details that ultimately derailed his presidency, it had been three years since the former commander in chief had been forced out of office. The Watergate scandal was still fresh in everyone's minds, and Nixon had remained notoriously tight-lipped until he agreed to sit down with Frost. Nixon was certain that he could hold his own opposite the up-and-coming British broadcaster, and even Frost's own people weren't quite sure their boss was ready for such a high-profile interview.
When the interview ultimately got under way and each man eschewed the typical posturing in favor of the simple truth, fans and critics on both sides were stunned by what they witnessed. Instead of Nixon stonewalling the interviewer as expected, or Frost lobbing softballs as the truth-seekers feared, what emerged was an unguardedly honest exchange between a man who had lost everything and another with everything to gain. In this film, viewers are treated to not only a recreation of that landmark interview, but a behind-the-scenes look at the power struggles that led up to it as well. Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Brian Grazer team to produce a film adapted for the screen by original play author Morgan (The Queen and The Last King of Scotland).
It sounds like an awful night out in the cinema. But you will be amazed. In Frost/Nixon Ron Howard turns this duel between Michael Sheen's glossy playboy and Frank Langella's shifty ex-President into a gripping tango of egos. The two-hour plus running time zooms by as the so-called "thinking man's Rocky" plays like an intellectual boxing match with Nixon effortlessly dodging Frost's hesitant jabs and the young challenger looking like he won't last the distance.
Verdict: Thought Ron Howard was going to stuff it up? Think again - Frost/Nixon's a great advert for stage-to-screen adaptations. And if you'd forgotten the power of the close-up, prepare to be dazzled by dapper Dave and Tricky Dick. For my overall rating I give "Frost/Nixon" 4/5.