In 1974 Samuel Joseph Byck attempted to hijack a plane he intended to fly into the White House to kill Richard Nixon – possibly the first time an airliner was to be used as a flying bomb in a terrorist attack. Sam Bicke is a lonely, ineffectual incompetent who feels wronged by his family, friends, employers and the world in general, though his problems are largely of his own making and his petulant refusal to compromise what he sees as his ‘values’. Thus he loses his job rather than ‘lie’ to customers about prices, while at the same time he continuously deceives his friends, and steals from his friend and his brother. Elaborate plans for success founder on equally avoidable issues. As his world falls apart, he fantasizes Richard Nixon (then under the shadow of Watergate and soon to leave office) as his ultimate enemy, and Leonard Bernstein (to whom he dictates endless self-exculpatory audio letters) as his only friend and equal. As a bleak future closes in, Bicke mounts the assassination – with characteristic incompetence.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)
  • Rating: (17,121 votes)
  • Taglines:The mad story of a true man. » Power is a state of mind. »
  • Runtime:95 minutes
  • Director: Niels Mueller
  • Countries:USA, Mexico
  • Actors:
    Samuel J. Bicke
    Sean Penn
    Marie Andersen Bicke
    Naomi Watts
    Bonny Simmons
    Don Cheadle
    Jack Jones
    Jack Thompson
    Martin Jones (as Brad Henke)
    Brad William Henke
    Tom Ford
    Nick Searcy
    Julius Bicke
    Michael Wincott
    Harold Mann
    Mykelti Williamson
    Mae Simmons
    April Grace
    Receptionist
    Lily Knight
  • Genres:Biography, Drama, History
  • Producers:
    Doug Bernheim
    co-producer  
    Alfonso Cuarón
    producer  
    Carlos Cuarón
    associate producer  
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    executive producer  
    Arnaud Duteil
    executive producer  
    Debra Grieco
    line producer  
    Avram 'Butch' Kaplan
    executive producer  
    Kevin Kennedy
    executive producer  
    Jason Kliot
    executive producer  
    John Limotte
    co-producer  
    Emmanuel Lubezki
    associate producer  
    Kurt Mueller
    associate producer  
    Alexander Payne
    executive producer  
    Frida Torresblanco
    executive producer  
    Jorge Vergara
    producer  
    Joana Vicente
    executive producer  
  • Plots: In 1974 Samuel Joseph Byck attempted to hijack a plane he intended to fly into the White House to kill Richard Nixon - possibly the first time an airliner was to be used as a flying bomb in a terrorist attack. Sam Bicke is a lonely, ineffectual incompetent who feels wronged by his family, friends, employers and the world in general, though his problems are largely of his own making and his petulant refusal to compromise what he sees as his 'values'. Thus he loses his job rather than 'lie' to customers about prices, while at the same time he continuously deceives his friends, and steals from his friend and his brother. Elaborate plans for success founder on equally avoidable issues. As his world falls apart, he fantasizes Richard Nixon (then under the shadow of Watergate and soon to leave office) as his ultimate enemy, and Leonard Bernstein (to whom he dictates endless self-exculpatory audio letters) as his only friend and equal. As a bleak future closes in, Bicke mounts the assassination - with characteristic incompetence. Written by Chris Davis
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
  • User's comment:The most moving film I've seen in years by buddymail99

    I caught this film at AFI primarily due to my interest in Sean Penn and indeed his performance is spectacular. But Mr. Penn's performance alone is not what makes this a truly great film. The intelligent writing, well-timed and rich score, and supportive performances by Naomi Watts, Jack Thompson and Don Cheadle blend perfectly in this marvelously crafted feature transporting the viewer into the lives and era of the exquisitely human characters who are so elegantly portrayed. Sean Penn's performance leans heavily on the clever and complex writing which offers him the opportunity to display an impressive range of pathos. The writers have managed to depict the very human and sympathetic side of a character that would typically be cast as the villain. I think this is a hugely important film for that reason and on many other levels as well. The writers are able to very subtly include sociopolitical commentary without being "in your face" or at all judgmental as the political arena is viewed through the lead character's eyes yet not really distorted due to the inclusion of archival footage. The unexpected doses of humor matched perfectly with the poignancy of the lead character's plight. This film is so moving, scenes and dialogue echo in the corners of the mind for days after the first viewing. I'll definitely be seeing Assassination again.


  • Quotes: Samuel Bicke: Please let them know, maestro. Let them know I was nervous... that unlike the powerful I was not so arrogant, as to be sure that my actions were righteous. Certainty is the disease of kings, maestro... and Sam Bicke was many things, but not a king. He just wanted to make a change, to stop the lies... and he aimed high. Samuel Bicke: Slavery never really ended in this country. It just gave it another name... Em-plo-yee. Samuel Bicke: I wanna throw an idea at you. Zebras.
  • Also known as: A Richard Nixon-merénylet (Hungary - imdb display title), Attentat auf Richard Nixon (Germany - DVD title), Attentat på Nixon (Denmark), Attentatet mot Richard Nixon (Sweden), Días de furia (Argentina - imdb display title), El asesinato de Richard Nixon (Spain), I dolofonia tou Richard Nixon (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), L'assassinat de Richard Nixon (Belgium - dubbed version, French title), O Assassínio de Richard Nixon (Portugal - imdb display title), O Assassinato de um Presidente (Brazil), Richard Nixon'a suikast (Turkey - DVD title, Turkish title), Richard Nixonin salamurha (Finland), The Assassination (Italy), Zabic prezydenta (Poland - imdb display title),

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