December 30, 2004
Sean Penn's latest release tackles another strong subject
Sean Penn is a really interesting movie star, no matter what you say about his past he's been involved in some fantastic movies. Whether that be for controversy, quality or the plain fact that they just stank, and to his defense he's been involved in some excellent movies, particularly as Writer or Director. He's controversial, has strong opinions of his own and makes them widely known, and he doesn't shy away from them, and there's more controversy in his latest film release, The Assassination of Richard Nixon.
According to Reuters, Penn...
has chosen to follow his Oscar-winning performance as the villain in Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" with a sympathetic portrayal of a would-be presidential assassin and airplane hijacker.Based on the real-life story of a man killed while trying to hijack a plane so he could crash it into the White House, the film, opening this week in some U.S. cities, is about a man driven to extremism by deep frustration with societal norms and mores.
"Nixon" looks at a social misfit who longs to be part of the system but is rebuffed at nearly every attempt. He loses his job, his wife, his second job and gets denied for a loan to start his own business.
He's come under heavy fire for a lot of his political comments, especially of late when he has spoken out against the Iraq War and had many call him anti-American:
"I don't believe I'm anti-American ... If I understand what it means, I can't imagine anything more anti-American than trying to shut people up," Penn said.
Well said there Mr Penn.
You have to be impressed at his convictions though:
More than five years ago, he agreed to play Sam Bicke in the movie that was written by a couple of relative unknowns and directed by a first-timer, Niels Mueller.Even though the filmmakers had a hard time raising money, Penn stuck by the project until eventually it was made.
The fact that he stuck with this movie and worked hard in getting it made, particularly as it was around the times of the terrorist attack on America, shows how committed he was to the movie. At a time when a lot of Studios were doing their politically correct bit and removing all notion and reference to the Twin Towers or any similar terrorist storylines, and even postponing films, the team behind this movie kept going because they believed they had something worthwhile to say.
When the film called "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" appeared near impossible to make because of the September 11 attacks, Penn pressed ahead, seeing in the role of aspiring assassin Sam Bicke a chance to tell the story of what drives a man to extreme acts.
Sounds like it was a brave move on the part of the film makers to get through this and get the backing to make it, and if it plays out as it says above then it definitely does make for an interesting movie and a chance to portray the person behind the monica of Assassin or Terrorist, much like The Hamburg Cell did.
Interestingly the release schedule shows a few festivals then a Greece and France release with a limited US release on the 29th of December before heading to Belgium, Italy and Netherlands. I wonder if the release is staggered to ease the possible controversy of the movie.
What is the consensus of Penn as an actor, and what of the storyline and potential controversy of this latest release?
Posted by Richard Brunton at December 30, 2004 10:52 AM
