Even those who are familiar with the historic interview between the disgraced president Richard M Nixon and British journalist David Frost will find this film full of surprising twists and in-depth performances.
The build-up to the final confrontation in screenwriter Peter Morgan and director Ron Howard's suspenseful drama is utterly riveting. Even those who have little interest in politics could find the duel between a crafty, brilliant and experienced politician and a persistent, younger adversary to be interesting. Nixon had thought he could outsmart the reporter and regain some of the prestige he lost in the aftermath of the Watergate political scandal.
The film achieves near greatness thanks to a very nuanced performance by one of the underused gems in American movies, Frank Langella, who plays the wily and egotistical Nixon. To play Frost opposite a genius like Langella is not easy but Howard has coaxed a brilliant performance by Michael Sheen. The two actors played the same role in the award-winning Broadway hit of the same name. But often good theatre does not translate well on the screen, and the mesmerizing performances on the stage lack luster on the screen. This film will be remembered as an exception to that theory.
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