Even director Oliver Stone's most fervent fans would be hard put to deny that this is a tough one to sit through.

There must be a way to make the disgraced US ex-President's life watchable, but Stone hasn't found it.

Only in the last few minutes do we get a look at Nixon the man and what he felt, but the main body of the film is almost completely uninteresting.

Anthony Hopkins impersonates Nixon with vigour if not much of an American accent.

Joan Allen, as his sometimes-loyal wife Pat, James Woods, Powers Boothe and especially Ed Harris in a brief appearance as E Howard Hunt, all do their best to enliven a deadeningly boring piece.

Paul Sorvino is almost unrecognisable as Henry Kissinger, Bob Hoskins all too recognisable as J Edgar Hoover.