At first glance Death of a President seems like an anarchist's dream: a mock documentary, set in 2008, which profiles the 2007 assassination of George W. Bush and the attempt to find the murderer. Despite its controversial premise, British director Gabriel Range is careful to give an overall positive view of Bush, portraying him as a kind and sensitive man, and the riotous protestors as a group of violent savages. That being said, Death is too boring and too idealistic to be considered good filmmaking.
Range creatively attempts to piece together an alternate history realistically; he utilizes a large range of shots, mixing actual footage with faux interviews in English and Arabic. However, despite the intermingling of various media, the interview dialogue is fairly wooden, and the "news footage" is far too glossy. Some of the acting is wonderful, namely, the head of security (Brian Boland) who fails in his mission to protect the President. However, the first half of the film comes across as long-winded and unnecessary - a means for Range to cover himself from criticism.
The second half is more exciting, albeit more slanted. Post-assassination, the film covers the investigation into possible suspects: an ultra-liberal protestor, a Gulf War II veteran and a Syrian immigrant, who is ultimately, and wrongly, convicted. Range is a little idealistic in creating a suspect who "accidentally" went to terrorist training camp, and in letting the true murderer get away with the crime, despite the stacks of evidence that are ultimately found. That being said, the film's portrayal of the racial profiling that occurs in the United States today, and of the passage of laws which allow greater surveillance, hits very close to home in the days post-9/11. Unfortunately, this point is also overshadowed by an unrealistic plot twist. Death of a President may have something intriguing to say about the war on terror and its impact on racism, but it is too long-winded, and too didactic, to get its point across.
