Death of a President (2006)

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

Director:

Gabriel Range

Writers:

Gabriel Range, Simon Finch

Stars:

Hend Ayoub, Becky Ann Baker, George W. Bush

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Ghaznavi	...	Samir Masri (as Seena Jon)
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

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

prologue | terrorist training camp | muslim | the white house | george w. bush | 

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Taglines:

A shockingly realistic political thriller

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief violent images

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

21 December 2006 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

A Morte de George W. Bush

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$281,778, 29 October 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$519,086

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$657,256, 18 March 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Borough Films, Borough Picture Company, Channel 4 Television Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

A news reporter says the aircraft carrier Nimitz is being sent back to the Mediterranean Sea. The file footage they show is of the aircraft carrier Enterprise.

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Quotes

Robert H. Maguire: Finding the source of the leak is the focus of a massive investigation.

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Connections

Featured in An Interview with the Makers of Death of a President (2006)

User Reviews

The Best Mockumentary You Will Never See

There is nothing more predictable than first response to this sentence: "Gabriel Range's new film, 'Death of a President,' is about the assassination of George W. Bush on Oct. 19, 2007."

Here's the sequence of your thoughts:

1. Eeeeew! 2. Can they make a film like that?! 3. That's one movie I'll never see.

Beyond all the obvious up to this point, nothing is to be taken for granted otherwise about "Death." It is a stunning work, literally. It will leave you dazed, floored, stupefied. (That is, if you see it... but you won't.)

To begin with it's neither a mockumentary, nor a fictional documentary, nor documented fiction... I just don't know what to call it. But is is GOOD; if you drag yourself into the theater, you will be grabbed, buffeted, your anticipation and second-guessing will turn out to be all wrong.

The opening narrative, right off the bat, seems obvious, but will gain a totally different meaning when it's repeated at the end. Exciting as the "recreation" of the foul deed may be, "Death" is really more about the capturing, trial, and conviction of the suspected assassin, who may or may not be the killer. Not that the 44th President, Dick Cheney, cares about that. But you may. (While, incredible as it may seem, you being to feel somewhat nostalgic about No. 43.)

British journalist and film-maker ("The Menendez Murders," "The Day Britain Stopped") Range is brilliant. Overlapping documentary and fictional footage blend flawlessly. Bush, Cheney, many others "play" themselves, are themselves. The interviews with actors playing Secret Service agents, government officials, etc. are totally believable - in fact, they may fool you for a while, even a long while.

Range's work has little to do with what may appear to be an obvious twin, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," except for dealing with the same national shame of fear and fear-mongering. Moore tried to fill in the gaps left in what is known and what is claimed. "Death of the President" projects our sorry time into the world of Patriot Act III.

Range is clear about the certainty of being denounced, sight unseen: "I have always known that I would be condemned for the very idea of this film," he has said, "but I believe that sometimes it is not only acceptable for art to be outrageous - it is necessary.

"We live in a time of incredible fear... The advance condemnation of this film by politicians and pundits who have not seen - and may never see - this film reflects the landscape of fear in which we live today, and which my film attempts to address."