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Dir: Liza Johnson (15, 86 mins)
Michael Shannon may be an odd choice to take on the mantle of the King of rock and roll, but his Elvis against Kevin Spacey’s Nixon works a treat, underplayed and real. The film is an imagining of the story behind the most requested photo in the National Archives, that of Presley and Nixon shaking hands in the White House. Liza Johnson’s film is a breezy concoction that plays with history. Presley is a man at the crossroads, unsure of his own identity, wanting to become a secret federal agent at large and serve his country, to the bemusement of Nixon an opportunist hoping to appeal to the youth through a meeting with the snake hipped one. Strong support comes from Colin Hanks as Nixon’s advisor, but a sub plot involving one of Presley’s bodyguards is an unwelcome distraction. Shannon and Spacey spar well off each other in this slight but entertaining distraction. Opens June 24
words KEIRON SELF
