The performances from Sheen and Langella are mesmerising as the charismatic playboy Frost and intelligent, funny yet greedy Nixon. Langella though really steals the show with his portrayal of Richard Nixon, so much so that I almost forgot he was an actor at all. He produces his lines with so much thought and emotion it feels completely natural and you can see him thinking about his actions as if he was actually there. The two actors together have an electrifying chemistry in the interviews providing some of the best dialogue you are likely to see in a film.
There is also a stellar supporting cast of Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall and Matthew Macfadyen who all help ratchet up the tension during the interviews and also provide a voice to the silent emotions bottled up by Frost and Nixon.
The script is tight and the direction of Ron Howard is excellent, although Frost's personality and reputation was not shown in its fullness and you rarely if ever see his playboy persona shown, just his reckless side and the worry he feels as to whether the interviews will be a success and if he'll get the funding to make them see the light of day.
This is not a movie with any real kind of action, but it is a stunning movie of words and emotion played out through great acting and a tense script. It is an excellent, intelligent film experience with real fleshed out characters, which shows that even films that aren't action blockbusters can provide a very entertaining two hours and is a welcome detour from many of those poor scripts.
Rating: B
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