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.

Theatrical Release: October 27, 2006

DVD Features:

Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Becky Ann Baker: Actress, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, SPIDER-MAN 3
Michael Reilly Burke: American Actor
Hend Ayoub: Actor, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Brian Boland: Star, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Robert Mangiardi: Star, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Jay Patterson: Actor/"Teen Ninja Turt."
James Urbaniak: Actor "Henry Fool"
Neko Parham: Star, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Seena Jon: Star, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Christian Stolte: Actor, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Tony Dale: 

Gabriel Range: Director, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT (2006)

Simon Finch: Producer, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Ed Guiney: Producer, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Gabrielle Range: Producer, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)

Simon Finch: Producer, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)
Gabriel Range: Director, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT (2006)

Brand Thumim: Editor, DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, (2006)

4 stars out of 5 -- "Deliberately confrontational, though communicated with even-keeled clarity rather than hysteria..."
3 stars out of 5 -- "[A]s a provocative piece of social commentary it most certainly succeeds."
"Director/writer Gabriel Range adroitly uses digital effects to create an almost seamless sense of reality unfolding."
"[A] provocation....It strikes the urgent, open-eyed tone of a FRONTLINE investigative report....The film's atmosphere of plausibility is its most devious trick..." -- Grade: B+