Simon Dillon reviews the film

Films about journalism and interviewing are sometimes overpraised by critics, who no doubt enjoy the exploration of their own craft. However, in the case of Frost/Nixon, such concerns prove unfounded. Director Ron Howard is back on form after the dismal Da Vinci Code with a Best Picture nominated fact based drama that is absolutely riveting.

Peter Morgan's screenplay, adapting his own stage play, is based on a series of interviews David Frost conducted with Nixon in 1977 - interviews that resulted in the closest thing Nixon ever gave to an admission of conspiracy and an apology for Watergate. It assumes a certain amount of historical knowledge on the part of the viewer, but it's nice to see a film that doesn't talk down to its audience. It also invites comparisons to George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck, about the famous CBS interview with Joseph McCarthy on 60 minutes. But unlike Clooney's monochrome gem, the critical difference is the actual footage of Nixon's interviews is not used. Good Night and Good Luck gained astonishing power by simply using McCarthy as himself, whereas Nixon is here portrayed by an actor.

Obviously Frost/Nixon therefore required first rate performances to work, and as Frost and Nixon respectively, Frank Langella and Michael Sheen provide them. Langella has the more showy, Oscar-baiting role, lumbering menacingly into the frame and oozing with pride and self-loathing. Sheen on the other hand is equally good, and has unfortunately been overlooked at many awards ceremonies, despite his increasingly dab hand at impersonating famous people (he was an excellent Tony Blair in The Queen and Channel 4's The Deal). His Frost comes off as, if not exactly the hero, then a likeable, albeit womanising, PR chasing TV personality whose obsession with the spotlight unwittingly places him against a nemesis he is unprepared to face. David and Goliath comparisons are inevitable, and the verbal sparring between the two is, as the film points out, akin to a boxing match. When Frost and Nixon take breaks between tape changes, there are inter-round pep talks with their respective entourages, and the actual interviews themselves contain metaphorical blows, blocks, dodges, sucker punches, dancing around the opponent and ultimately a knockout.

In the supporting cast, Sam Rockwell is terrific as James Reston Jr, who unlike Frost wanted Nixon's confession for moral rather than PR reasons. Matthew McFadden, Rebecca Hall and Oliver Platt are also all good, and Kevin Bacon deserves a special mention as Nixon's sycophantic confidant Jack Brennon, who can't bear to see a British upstart TV personality take on his idol.

Ultimately, Frost/Nixon is one of Ron Howard's better efforts. He wisely eschews the trappings of period pieces by refusing to resort to disco tracks and silly haircuts. Instead, he uses a faux documentary format in places to add realism, and directs with a spare, unfussy style that underlines what this interview was really about: the power of the close-up. Ironically, on stage this is something that could not be fully explored, but cinema proves the ideal exploration of this device. On a big screen, the close-ups are so large and clear that Nixon's face reveals what his words don't.

All in all, a very good film, that could well make a star out of Michael Sheen. As Frost puts it "success in America is unlike success anywhere else". On the strength of this film, he could well end up with success of precisely that nature.