oliver stone 's latest feature is the last one standing in the long line of biographies of american presidents .
it 's a three - hour long saga about the life of one of the most hated and misunderstood leaders of the 20th century .
stone does n't hold back anything as he digs deep inside politics and legal maneuvers of the white house .
the director holds nixon responsible for everything he has done .
at the same time he creates a very human character , a brilliant and tortured man that is caught in the dirty game of politics , which is here pictured as a wild animal .
he is simply trying to tame it .
but the occasional switch to the raging sky and the clouds swiftly fleeing over the white house as events run ahead of the president 's ability to control them .
stone does n't in any way apologize for nixon .
he blames not only nixon 's own character flaws but also the imperial presidency itself , the system that , once set in motion , behaves with a mindlessness of its own .
" nixon " is a modern shakespeare story - a saga about a ruler destroyed by his fatal flaws .
there 's something almost majestic about the process :
as nixon goes down in this film , there is no gloating , but a watery sigh , as of a great ship sinking .
sir anthony hopkins is staggering and plays nixon with incredible honesty and understanding , creating a very emotional picture of the 37th american president .
joan allen 's magnificent and captivating performance is certainly worth an oscar statuette .
she is strong and loyal as mrs .
nixon .
the rest of the cast is equally magnificent , including : james woods ,
j .
t .
walsh , paul sorvino , ed harris and bob hoskins .
everyone does a serious and demanding job , no one are disappointing .
stone never loses focus and his direction is steddy , honest and determined .
he is displaying the historical facts and at the same time concentrating at the human element .
at times he is showing to black and white showing flashbacks from nixon 's youth and childhood .
the flashy editing by brian berdan and frank corwin , robert richardson 's rich cinematography and john williams ' musical score create a hectic and bizarre atmosphere .
the film 's only fault is that it 's a bit tiering and overloaded with too much political material and legal maneuvers .
still it 's an honest and captivating - a solid piece of movie making .
staggering equally magnificent the flashy editing everyone does a serious and demanding job , no one are disappointing . stone never loses focus and his direction is steddy , honest and determined there 's something almost majestic about the process an honest and captivating - a solid piece of movie making incredible honesty and understanding , creating a very emotional picture rich cinematography magnificent and captivating performance is certainly worth an oscar statuette