Nixon's the One

Dennis dperrin13 at mediaone.net
Sat Feb 24 14:29:27 PST 2001



> Has anyone seen Oliver Stone's Nixon? I haven't yet. It's kinda funny
that Anthony
> Hopkins has played both Nixon and Hannibal "the Cannibal"
> Lector. Quite a range, in one sense.
>
> Peter "Dan "the Man!" Burton" K.

Yes, I have. Not very good, in my view. Hopkins keeps sliding into a Welsh accent, and his Nixon is much like Dan Aykroyd's from the original "Saturday Night Live" -- hunched over, simian, sweating and nervous. Joan Allen as Pat is the best thing in the film. If Pat was a strong as Stone depicts her, then she definitely did not deserve the slams she received in life. "Nixon" uses the same jumbled visuals as "JFK" and "Natural Born Killers." I felt a more subdued approach was called for here, but then I'm not Stone (read "Killer Instinct" by Jane Hamsher to get a behind-the-scenes look at Stone). Nixon is a fascinating character; and to my mind, the best portrayal of him exists in the work of Hunter Thompson.

DP



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