Frost/Nixon (2008)

When Richard Nixon sought to repair his reputation with television interviews in 1977, his aides selected an interviewer they were confident would be a pushover. David Frost, a lightweight British TV talk-show host with a taste for the good life, was more accustomed to interviewing the Bee Gees than disgraced world leaders.

As the riveting Frost/Nixon makes clear, Nixon was smart and pugnacious, while his interrogator was widely dismissed. By all rights, it should not have been a fair fight, and yet both men arrived at an unexpected reckoning. Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan, who adapts his hit stage play, nimbly expand the narrative to fit the visual scope of the big screen. Frost/Nixon tells a story in which the ending is historical fact, but it is told with the surefootedness of the best journo-political thrillers.

Michael Sheen and Frank Langella reprise their Broadway roles as, respectively, the TV personality and the president. Frost, who initiates the idea of taped interviews, hopes to revive his lagging career, especially among American audiences where he had once enjoyed some success. Nixon wants to rehabilitate his image after the disgrace of resignation. Still, Frost’s desperation is palpable, and the deal is only finalized when he pays Nixon $600,000, much of it his own money, for the exclusive four-part interviews.

Things don’t go well for Frost, who faces skittish sponsors amid mounting criticism over his “checkbook journalism.” Even Frost’s own researchers – historical and political writer James Reston Jr. (Sam Rockwell), broadcast journalist Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt) and TV producer John Birt (Matthew Macfadyen) – are skeptical that their boss can hold their own with Tricky Dick.

Such concerns are borne out in the first three interviews. Heeding the advice of a loyal aide (Kevin Bacon), Nixon overwhelms Frost with long-winded answers and anecdotes. Expectations rise for the final interview, which is to focus on the Watergate scandal. Can Frost coax Nixon into a confession on the scandal that destroyed his presidency?

Although viewers of a certain age will know the answer to that question, it is a testament to the filmmakers’ artistry that Frost/Nixon crackles with suspense. Morgan’s script is taut and smart, and Howard keeps things moving at a brisk clip.

The acting is superb. Sheen excels with the less showy role. Langella captures Nixon’s mannerisms, but the performance is interpretation, not imitation. Curiously, he lends Nixon a sympathy that eluded the real man.