Interview with the Assassin (2002)

Almost forty years after the John F. Kennedy assassination, an ex-Marine named Walter Ohlinger has come forward with a startling claim.

Director:

Neil Burger

Writer:

Neil Burger

Stars:

Dylan Haggerty, Raymond J. Barry, Renee Faia

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raymond J. Barry	...	Walter Ohlinger
Dylan Haggerty	...	Ron Kobeleski
Renee Faia	...	Sharon Kobeleski
Kelsey Kemper	...	Karen Kobeleski
Dennis Lau	...	Steven Wu
Sonny Franks
Jared McVay	...	Jimmy Jones
Christel Khalil	...	Babysitter
Lillias White	...	Nurse
Kate Williamson	...	Walter's Ex-Wife
Jack Tate	...	John Seymour Jr.
Nicolas Mize	...	Gary Deetz
James Hiser	...	Alan Delvecchio
Darrell Sandeen	...	John Seymour Sr.
Evan O'Meara	...	Secret Service Agent #1

Storyline

Out of work TV cameraman Ron Kobelski is approached by his formerly reclusive neighbor Walter Ohlinger. Ohlinger claims that he was the mysterious "second gunman" that shot and killed President Kennedy. Ohlinger has kept quiet all these years, but has decided to tell his story now that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Kobelski is skeptical of his neighbor's story, after his investigations provide ambiguous answers. His attitude changes, however, after he receives threatening messages on his answering machine, and spots shadowy figures in his backyard. Is Ohlinger telling the truth? Or is there a bigger conspiracy at work?

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Plot Keywords:

kennedy | conspiracy | gunman | john f kennedy | assassination | 

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Taglines:

Almost forty years after the John F. Kennedy assassination, an ex-marine named Walter Ohlinger has come forward to reveal a startling secret.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Kennedy-gyilkosság - Interjú a merénylővel

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,716, 22 November 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$47,329, 8 December 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Interview Productions, Magnolia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Interviewer: How did you meet Walter Ohlinger?
Ron Kobeleski: I met Walter 'cause he lived down the street from me. Somehow he knew that I was a camera man at KXBC, that I did the news there. Actually I'd just been laid-off, but he didn't know that. Any way, he said he'd committed a crime many years ago, never been caught, and he wanted to talk about it.

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Connections

Featured in The 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2003)

User Reviews

Very good low-budget mock documentary, Raymond Barry is great

Walter is 62 and has terminal cancer. He has a confession to make before he dies, and he chooses cameraman Ron to tell his story to. Apparently Walter fired the shot that killed John Kennedy.

Ron and Walter visit Dallas to see where the event happen, and later they go in search of the truth ... but someone doesn't want them to know what really happened. Toward the end, things get interesting but ridiculous.

Raymond Barry was very convincing, very natural as Walter. Most of the characters in the movie seemed like real people. The jerky, almost amateurish camera work made this seem like a real documentary. Nearly all of the film was told from the point of view of one of Ron's cameras, including security cameras at his house. It was a very low-frills production, with almost no music except for radios and background music playing in buildings.

I'm no expert, but this seems like the sort of film that wins awards or at least gets nominated. If it had been a real documentary, it probably would have.