Nixon's daughters vociferously complained about the movie but it's difficult to see why. This is far more genuine than Stone's previous presidential picture, JFK, and faithfully covers Nixon's years as a politician loved by Americans, as well as his pre-White House wilderness era, epitomised by his sorrowful claim that, "Hell, I couldn't even get into the FBI".

Anthony Hopkins received an Oscar nomination for his starring role and his success in capturing Nixon's essence far surpasses his entertaining stints as Hannibal Lecter. He never disguises his culpability for his own downfall, but at times, 'Tricky Dicky' emerges as genuinely likeable, to an extent that surprised even Stone. Richard Nixon's clumsy attempts to replicate sincere charisma, for instance, are so clunky that ironically, they hint at an almost innocent charm.

DID YOU KNOW?
	Nixon was the first US president to visit all 50 states, the first to visit China while in office and to address the Russian people on Russian television.   Nixon received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Music for John Williams' score and for the screenplay, co-written by Oliver Stone.   After the film's release, Stone termed Richard Nixon a Richard II character, adding, "Really he's closer to that than anything".

This represents one of the few films which can be legitimately talked of in the same terms as Citizen Kane. Again, it's the story of a powerful man who courted greatness but married tragedy; an arch manipulator crippled by self-doubt and painful memories of a harsh and bizarre childhood. And like Welles with Kane, Stone's direction is masterly, introducing numerous tricks to keep this epic constantly compelling: unexpected flashbacks; brief, surprising switches to black and white; clever use of newsreels, real footage, 'faked' footage and a willingness to bring a Shakespearean gravitas to proceedings with melodramatic storm clouds gathering, for example, on the eve of President Kennedy's assassination.

Ultimately, Oliver Stone's Nixon represents an intelligent and absorbing insight into American politics of the 1960s and 70s, and a brilliantly extensive explanation of one of its most influential practitioners.

Gavin Collinson

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