(Image courtesy of www.impawards.com)
Directed by:
Gabriel Range
Starring:
President George W. Bush………. himself
Hend Ayoub………. Zahra Abi Zikri
Brian Boland………. Larry Stafford
Becky Ann Baker ………. Eleanor Drake
Robert Mangiardi ………. Greg Turner
Jay Patterson ………. Sam McCarthy
Jay Whittaker ………. Frank Molini
Michael Reilly Burke ………. Robert H. Maguire
James Urbaniak ………. Dr. James Pearn
Neko Parham ………. Casey Claybon
Seena Jon ………. Samir Masri
Christian Stolte ………. John Rucinski
Chavez Ravine ………. Marianne Claybon
Patricia Buckley ………. Dawn Newton
Patrick Clear ………. Adam Brock
Malik Bader ………. Jamal Abu Zikri
There have only been four Presidents in the history of this country to be gunned down by his own countrymen; Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and JFK. And every President has always been aware that he could very easily join that list. What if George W. Bush were to be the next inductee? Death of a President is a hard film to shake off after viewing it. Here we see the events that could possibly take place if our current Commander In Chief were to be assassinated next week – or next year according to the faux documentary.
Just like this years The Road to Guantanamo, we see the world through a hyper real documentary style of filmmaking. In it we have the President on his way to speak at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago about the work force, but outside there’s a protest rally in the thousands. The nation is restless and are fed up with him avoiding their views. On his way out of the building, doing a few hand shakes on his way to the motorcade, he’s gunned down by a sniper in one of the high rise buildings over looking the entrance.
Then the remainder of the film is a retrospective look back at the events that took place, and how they were handled. You see, the documentary takes place in 2008, looking back at the Presidents assassination which happened in 2007. To do this, Range creates fictitious forensics scientists, secret service staff, members of the FBI, aids to the President, and all the people who are suspected of committing the murder. All of the roles are played by unknown actors to add the reality that the film is so desperately trying to achieve. However the intercut interviews tend to be hit or miss with the films choice of narrative. In some cases you’re able to slip in to the harsh future Range paints, while during others its just a case of poor acting that has a hard time selling the facts.
From there, the film takes a look at the investigations that would follow, the way it would shock the nation, and how we as a whole would handle such an event. Along with all the things that could happen politically in this overly safe atmosphere we live in. Would we see more of our rights and liberties taken away? Would we turn in to a police state? Would such an event lead us to yet another war?
Using pre-existing footage of the President and altering them with CGI, there is an uncomfortable feeling while watching, seeing just how real the filmmaker and his crew were able to make it all appear. However there’s always a feeling, a reminder that it’s all fake – which is obvious since there is no video of the President actually being shot – it’s just something that’s hard to block from your mind while watching the events unfold. But once that first shot rings, it’s impossible to not have a chill go down your spine while watching the screen.
Taking out a man wouldn’t do any kind of good, the ideal and belief our President has are shared with his entire cabinet. Taking out the one man will do little to change the coarse of our nations personal or political views. If anything, it would only make them stricter, causing them to be enforced even more. The movie even shows that after Bush is gunned down and Cheney is placed in office, a new Patriot act (dubbed Patriot III) is put in to effect. Taking away even more of the rights we hold so dear, and would eventually be placed in to law – something the old Patriot act failed to accomplish.
The assassination of the President would be a horrible (detrimental) thing to this country, and that’s what this film is trying to show. That while people may want Bush out of office, doing so with a sniper rifle is by far the worst way to do it. But even more frightening, is its look at what could cause a man to do such a thing. How a man would need to reach such a breaking point where he sees only one man as the cause of all his pain, and then find it inside of himself to do something about it.
Death of a President plays up the reality of it all, and the unique vision and ideas of director Gabriel Range were intriguing based on the films plot outline. But the choice of having intercut “talking head” footage always takes you out of the fake documentary. Turning it in to something you might watch on Court TV. Had they went with something a little more truthful, like a narration, or perhaps had fifteen or so minutes of the interview footage cut it would have worked to the films strengths.
Many have been up in arms over this film since the very first mention of it even possibly getting made. The same people who choose to determine their stance on any subject without viewing the facts, without even seeing a single frame from the subject being discussed. As if seeing it will only help its cause, as if an uninformed opinion is better then possibly changing you views once the house lights come up.
In the end, the piece is certainly something people should see. While not a “cautionary tale” like many are making it out to be, Death of a President is quite simply a very unique spin on something we’ve seen countless times before. And a showcase of what filmmakers can do when armed with only a micro budget and personal conviction for the story that they’re trying to tell.
