For a film of talking heads, about a program featuring talking heads, Frost/Nixon is powerful and propulsive. Needless to say that this would involve powerful performances from actors, a strong script, and a deft directorial hand.
Director Ron Howard manages the feat, taking a stage play, bringing it to the screen, and giving it a documentary feel. Though it’s a period piece, we feel as if we are in the her and the now, and that each of the moves, decisions, and critical moments, are of utmost importance. From big moments, such as the interviews, to phone calls, to even the sad sight of Micheal Sheen’s Frost sitting at a weed killer office, we feel the importance throughout. Despite it being a talk program with a goofy British host, we feel the sense of history being created.
I can’t laud the performances enough, from the strong supporting turns by Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon, to the leads who engage in an amazing psychological duel. Frank Langella plays Nixon perfectly, not mere caricature, but rather he shows Nixon as a man of depth and tragedy. And Sheen’s Frost is something to behold, especially in the early bouts with Nixon.
Frost/Nixon captures a powerful moment on many levels, and its play on the power of media is just as enlightening as its portrayals of the main players. It may just be a lot of talk, but there’s power and perversion beneath it. Nixon’s calling it a duel couldn’t be more right, and watching the parry and thrust throughout is exhilarating.
