The stink of desperation is as powerful a scent as that of any cologne and able to be detected twice as quickly. Too often crowded into the somewhat questionable concepts of pheromones (which exist, but ultimately mean nothing) and interpersonal chemistry, a person’s feel, be it desperate, confident or eccentric is unfortunately relegated to psychology’s no-man’s-land. Little attention is paid to this and that that is is often chastised by politically correct pundits who like to argue that this is just a new way to promote the pre-judging of people.

Regardless of P.C. sensibilities though, the impact of first impressions is impressively strong; most people know within five minutes of an introduction whether they like, dislike or are indifferent towards the other party. Desperation and genuine self-loathing are two of the most distinct and unattractive qualities that another human can possess. These negative emotions are more powerful and covert than they are generally given credit for precisely because of the way that they are able to impact the emotions of other people. And watching hopeless, down-on-themselves characters self-destruct on screen isn’t just hard to do; it’s absolutely painful. Viewing Jon Favreau implode as he made phone call after phone call to the girl he’d just met in Swingers is one of the most poignant and emotionally scarring scenes in film.

To his extreme credit here, the normally demonstrative and poised Sean Penn creates in his character Sam Bicke, a sense of pathetic exasperation and despair that is nearly unrivaled in recent cinema history. Sadly, Bicke’s borderline personality and awkward mood fluctuations are so accurately and believably done that watching The Assassination of Richard Nixon, at times, feels like watching a terrible human train wreck unfold. Hardly words of encouragement to would-be viewers.

Set in America in 1973, Penn stars in The Assassination of Richard Nixon as Bicke, a 40-something man who has faced such an uphill battle in life that simply getting a job where he has his own business card is viewed as a major triumph. Separated from his wife Marie (Naomi Watts) and not on speaking terms with his brother (Michael Wincott), Bicke’s only friend is Bonny Simmons (Don Cheadle). On his good days, Bicke is a hair away from completely losing his mind to depression; only the hope of rekindling his relationship with Marie keeps him sane. Then Bicke learns that Marie has started seeing another man and snaps.

Sort of based on a true story–co-writer/director Niels Mueller had the idea of a man who is so down on his luck he decides it would be a good idea to try and kill President Nixon and then, while researching the material, learned that something like this had happened and merged the two ideas into one–The Assassination of Richard Nixon is an honest character study, in Bicke, of the type of man who feels so worthless that an attempt at murder begins to gain a certain peculiar luster. This is a noble and worthwhile artistic endeavor for Mueller, particularly with the superb acting performances contained within The Assassination of Richard Nixon, but also positions me firmly at a critical crossroads. Though the film is exceptionally well acted and adeptly created, it is hard to watch and horrifically depressing and, as such, not something that I would whole-heartedly recommend to anyone.

This opinion differs greatly from most of the other film critics in the United States, whose judgments are often based, as Roger Ebert’s are, not upon whether someone would want to watch a film, but rather how closely the film accomplishes what it sets out to achieve. It is a subtle difference between ethos’ in most cases, but in the case of The Assassination of Richard Nixon, these differences are magnified and then highlighted because Mueller has made a movie that does exactly what it wants to but that only a select few people will actually have the energy or desire to view.

Penn is one of the most talented and versatile actors working in Hollywood today and watching him work here is an artistic work of genius. Mueller deserves credit for his ability to deftly spotlight Bicke’s eccentricities, but The Assassination of Richard Nixon is one movie that just couldn’t escape from the clutches of the incredibly depressing and desperate emotions that I felt swirling throughout my body for the majority of its running time.

chris neumer

yes, it's true: Richard Nixon had the White House swimming pool filled in as to give the White House press corp more room in which to stand.