Fine performances in ‘Frost/Nixon’

Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell

Cert: PG

A moment in time from the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, based on Peter Morgan’s hit stage play this is the story of how a largely unknown, certainly to an international audience, TV interviewer grabbed an exclusive interview with disgraced President Nixon.

David Frost (played brilliantly by Sheen) took a massive gamble, and paid a huge sum of money, to get Nixon (a powerful performance from Langella) in front of the cameras and the confrontation became one of the most memorable moments in small screen history.

The interview – the lead-up to which is here given a good dose of extra drama, more than probably happened in real life - was initially intended to be something of a low-key affair intended to show Nixon in a better light.

But the appointment of James Reston Jnr (the always-excellent Rockwell) as researcher gave it the hard, probing edge we now remember.

Both Sheen (who played the equally disgraced Tony Blair in ‘The Queen’) and Langella, who appeared in the stage production, shine with truly outstanding performances, though whether this historical drama will appeal to today’s audiences remains a doubt. Perhaps Frost himself should line up Blair and Bush for his next interviews.

Star Rating: 5/5