Frost/Nixon

Nominated for five academy awards in 2009 and starring one of my favourite actors in Charlie Sheen, I had a good few reasons to go in to viewing this with a certain optimism. The film re-tells the play of the same name, which in turn tells the story of how David Frost (Sheen) came to interview Richard Nixon (Frank Lengella) after the Watergate scandal. To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what the Watergate scandal was, let alone the its historical significance. I am now enlightened.

The films strengths come from characterisation and performances of the two leads. Despite an inform Sheen giving a charismatic, heartfelt performance, Langella steals the show with a strong, accurate portrayal of the former president. The way the two trade punches, so to speak, in the closing stages are a joy. Strangely the film holds a lot of parallels with Rocky, with lots of emphasis in the dialogue about 'the fight' and battle between the two's verbal jousting, making the final show down a great pay off.

Despite the film being slow burning, it never really sags. Sam Rockwell & Oliver Platt are good additions to the background, giving the piece a bit more weight. Rebecca Hall is amicable but never really shines. The only reason I there were times I felt a little bored was because I'm not a huge politics fan, nor am I American, so the subject matter didn't connect with me in a way it may have for someone like Sam Rockwell's character.

Still, a very assured, classy film that does well to entertain considering the rather dry subject matter.

7/10