In our best, Jeffrey-Wells-esque post we wanted to tap out a few thoughts on “Frost/Nixon” before we depart for the evening.
We had read the script just about a week ago and meant to bang out a review, but ran out of time. The Peter Morgan-penned script (he wrote “The Queen,” “The Last King Of Scotland”) is taut and moves like a shark throughout most its almost brief 101 pages. It’s economical, a page-turner and fairly gripping (much more than we had expected; we figured it to be boring).
The film thankfully sticks to the script very closely and even when deviating from it, the moves are very much in spirit. The Ron Howard-directed film is mostly sleek and mostly lean (especially in its bookends) and is basically a subtle and not-so subtle boxing match between two contenders. It’s Hollyfield/Tyson; a show-down and while the match has its lulls, the 12-rounds are (mostly) an engaging experience.
Frank Langella and Michael Sheen are both strong, but its some of the side players, Kevin Bacon and Sam Rockwell who made us turn our head and take notice. More tomorrow or next week, depending what the studio snipers are saying.