On set or off, Penn is a political animal

Sean PENN, with four best actor nominations and a win last year for “Mystic River,” has deservedly insinuated himself into that realm of actors whose performances annually seem to earn Oscar consideration. This year, Penn’s turn in the Watergate-era drama “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” is garnering early buzz. As Samuel Bicke (a name that naturally conjures Robert De Niro’s taxi-driving Travis Bickle), Penn plays a disturbed furniture salesman whose life is unraveling faster than the Nixon administration can delete its expletives. After becoming politically conscious courtesy of the Black Panthers, Bicke turns his animus toward eliminating the 37th president. Don Cheadle, Naomi Watts (who appeared opposite Penn in “21 Grams”) and Jack Thompson also star. Director Niels Mueller co-scripted with Kevin Kennedy. ThinkFilm releases “The Assassination of Richard Nixon” on Dec. 29.