Death of a President (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Gabriel Range

Writers:

Simon Finch (writer)
Gabriel Range (writer)

Release Date:

21 December 2006 (South Korea)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Do not rush to judge.

Plot:

Years after the assassination of President George W. Bush in Chicago, an investigative documentary examines that as-yet-unsolved crime. |

Plot Keywords:

Assassination | Conspiracy | Speech | Mockumentary | USA Patriot Act

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Hend Ayoub	...	Zahra Abi Zikri
Becky Ann Baker	...	Eleanor Drake
Brian Boland	...	Larry Stafford
Michael Reilly Burke	...	Robert H. Maguire
Patricia Buckley	...	Dawn Newton
Seena Jon	...	Samir Masri
Robert Mangiardi	...	Greg Turner
Neko Parham	...	Casey Claybon (as M. Neko Parham)
Jay Patterson	...	Sam McCarthy
Chavez Ravine	...	Marianne Claybon
Christian Stolte	...	John Rucinski
James Urbaniak	...	Dr. James Pearn
Jay Whittaker	...	Frank Molini
Patrick Clear	...	Adam Brock
David Girolmo	...	Spokesman

Also Known As:

D.O.A.P. (Canada: English title) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief violent images.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | UK:12 | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-11 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Brazil:12

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Borough Films

Trivia:

The rifle used by the murderer was actually an airsoft replica (G&G SR25) of a AR15.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The FBI Agent in charge, Robert Macguire, says the apprehended suspect, Frank Molini was 28 years old. His drivers license, which shows on the screen says he was born April 2, 1975 which would make him 32 in October 2007 when the movie takes place.

Quotes:

[end title cards]
Title card: One year after his conviction, Jamal Abu Zikri has still not been granted leave to appeal.
Title card: He remains on death row in Statevill Correctional Center.
Title card: Since recording the interview for this film Robert H Maguire has resigned as Head of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
Title card: USA PATRIOT III, introduced in the days after the assassination, has since been turned into permanent law.
Title card: It has granted investigators unprecedented powers of detention and surveillance, and further expanded the powers of the executive branch.

Assassination isn't really the issue

That Bush was assassinated in this film isn't really the issue. The real issue in this film is the sequence of events that the assassination set in motion. It's about how the current state of national fear and paranoia could produce the results that the film depicts in the AFTERMATH of the fictional assassination. It's about how contradictory evidence is suppressed or ignored, stereotypes are reinforced, rights are willingly surrendered by a frightened public, and hatred is stoked. It's about how a mere tidbit of dubious information (the questionable smudged fingerprint) can be hyped by politicians with an agenda into international confrontation. The film was an excellent and insightful commentary on the current state of political affairs in the United States, and I recommend it highly.