Additionally, for people who want to come into the film for an open-minded perspective on the only man who resigned from the presidency, the film will be disappointing. Although the liberal bias is less pronounced than in other political films that have come to the multiplexes in recent years, this film clearly has a liberal agenda in terms of its presentation of Nixon. As one of the characters notes, the Frost/Nixon interviews should be the trial that Nixon never had. To maximize the liberal ideology, one character blatantly notes near the end of the film that the most lasting legacy of the Nixon presidency is the fact that the names of future scandals would end with the suffix “gate” as in Watergate. Clearly for someone to say that openly in a movie without any other strong perspectives being shown notes that the people doing the movie did not want Nixon or his legacy to come off well.
Aside from the criticisms noted above, I did thoroughly enjoy the movie as a work of dramatic intention. Frank Langella is excellent in the role of Richard Nixon (a role that he has played both on screen and on stage in the original theater production of “Frost/Nixon”). Langella brings a strong intelligence and steadfastness to the role that lets viewers see a different side to President Nixon (one which might bring more sympathy to the former president, much to the detriment of the filmmakers involved who arguably shudder at the thought). The pacing of the film is well done and this will definitely be nominated for several high-profile awards in the months to come.
Ultimately the film succeeds in its overarching storyline of presenting these two competing characters battling against each other but it does have its share of faults and inaccuracies, which will hinder the historical value of it. I would recommend people see this film though for a flawed but compelling retelling of the story of the “Frost/Nixon” interviews.