W. (2008)

Oliver Stone has tackled the American presidency before, with Nixon (1995) and in a more conspiratorial manner with JFK (1991). W, a biographical account of George W. Bush, suffers from being almost an hour shorter than either of these. Josh Brolin's performance as Bush is astonishing, embellishing the role in such a way that Stone's efforts to make the audience sympathise with the former president do not go to waste. For someone who didn't know a huge amount about Bush's background, W is an interesting watch, but Stone's goal of merging comedy and drama leave the film feeling a little confused. At times you're almost rooting for Bush, at others you're dumbfounded at how he ever got into office. In a longer cut, and with a more Nixon like focus, removing the bizarrity (if that's a word) this could have been something intriguing. As it is, you wish that there had been more material, it would have been fascinating to see Brolin's reaction as Bush to 9/11 for example. 6.1/10