• |
  • |
  • |
  • |
Go

Death of a President, 2006

Death of a President

English, Arabic

UK

Rating:6.3
jinni

Profile of Death of a President

Death of a President can be described as disturbing, bleak, and suspenseful. The plot revolves around an assassination, a political conspiracy, and a head of state. The main genres are drama, thriller, and crime. In terms of style, Death of a President is a fake documentary. In approach, it is serious and realistic. It is located in Washington DC and Chicago. Death of a President takes place in contemporary times. The movie has received attention for being controversial and an award winner. Note that it involves profanity and violent content.

Summary of Death of a President

British director Gabriel Range (THE DAY BRITAIN STOPPED) imagines the aftereffects of the assassination of George W. Bush in this fictional documentary ("mockumentary" seems too playful a word for this relentlessly taut film) set in 2008. Range uses real news footage, staged scenes (shot on high-res video but cleverly doctored to resemble grainy satellite news images and security-camera tapes), and phony talking-head interviews to create a compelling and believable thriller for the CNN generation. He even adds some whodunit elements, along with philosophical musings about post-9/11 civil liberties, the psychological effects of war, and the multilayered impact that such a murder would have on the world.

What makes Range's story so believable--in addition to the excellent performances by the "interviewees" playing FBI agents, beat cops, advisors, and suspects--is the wide scope of political and personal viewpoints given equal voice. The president is seen as neither a hero nor a villain; his advisors and security team are loyal and even-keeled but not without their own irrational prejudices, and the assassin's motives, while not condoned, are made to seem understandable. This is a deeply compassionate look at a fictional situation that could very well become a reality--rather than lulling viewers with escapism, Range asks them to consider the consequences of the events unfolding all around them.

Details

Language: English, Arabic
Country: UK
Release date: 27 October 2006
Runtime: 97 min

Cast and Crew

George W. Bush as Himself in Death of a President
George W. Bush

as Himself

Becky Ann Baker

as Eleanor Drake

Photos

Death of a President (2006)
Death of a President (2006)

Clips

Death of a President
Death of a President: Theatrical

Critics Reviews

Salon.com
Range has a marvelous feel for the clichés and conventions of TV-news documentary, and the tone of mournful elegy he strikes here is both convincing and -- believe me, I'm shocked to be writing this -- moving.
  • |
  • by: Andrew O'Hehir
TV Guide
Given the controversy, which strongly suggested that the filmmakers had it in for President Bush, the film's biggest shocker may be how kind Range and coscreenwriter Simon Finch are to him.
  • |
  • by: Maitland McDonagh

Users Reviews

For all the hype about this film being banned in the major theater chains in the U.S., it's really a letdown. It doesn't do anything clever. The end result is a film that does a good job integrating stock footage into a technically believable...
  • 02.May.2009
  • |
  • by: Sean
  • Sean rated this movie4/10Disappointing
Better than expected this film is handled very well considering its a topic about the president being killed. I watched it with an open mind and did not find it to have any political agendas. It is mostly interviews done by a great cast of actors...
  • 23.March.2009
  • |
  • by: prozac pop
  • prozac pop rated this movie6/10Okay
Likely to see
Not for me

Jinni is best for now in Firefox, Internet Explorer 7 and 8, and Chrome

Part of the page Copyright © Muze | New Releases by Tribune Media Services.

Copyright 2012 Jinni Inc.
jinni message message message
jinni
jinni

smart offbeat funny

In: movies

Copy and paste this link into an email or instant message:

Send this page by email