Jack Nicholson As President James Dale (Mars Attacks!, 1995)
It takes a special kind of actor to be the Leader of the Free World in a Tim Burton movie – so who better than Jack Nicholson? In the political satire that parodies science fiction B movies, Earth is attacked by hostile invaders from Mars, who routinely perform head-swaps between people and dogs, and zap enemies into oblivion with their ray-guns.
The Presidential performance here is something quite special. Despite being delivered by renowned scenery-chewer and Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson, it’s a depiction of an extremely cautious Commander-In-Chief, who prefers to negotiate rather than bring out the big guns.
As the invasion begins, and it becomes increasingly clear that the Martians intend nothing but the destruction of the human race and colonization of the planet, President Dale insists on exhausting all peaceful options before considering aggressive defence – even when his family are killed.
President Dale meets his inevitable end – deep in a bunker, having watched the deaths of those around him – having made a stirring, yet futile speech about the spirit of friendship and peace. That his efforts are met with swift violence underscores the sentiment that a passive President is a dangerous failure of a world leader.
