Product Details

• Actors: Hend Ayoub, Becky Ann Baker, George W. Bush, Brian Boland, Michael Reilly Burke
• Directors: Gabriel Range
• Writers: Gabriel Range, Simon Finch
• Producers: Gabriel Range, Christina Varotsis, Donall McCusker, Ed Guiney, Liza Marshall
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Arabic, English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: April 3, 2007
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000MV8AAY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,758 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Death of a President (Widescreen Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

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.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: R UPC: 012236212300 Manufacturer No: 21230

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb fictional documentary, November 7, 2006

By 

D. B. Spalding (Korova Multimedia) - See all my reviews
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Fantastic, thought-provoking, and taut. Strong words for a film which is a speculative fictional film about the supposed assassination of the President of the United States, and subsequent investigation of the crime. Though drawing controversy over its realism and incorporation of contemporary issues (the Patriot Act, US presence in Iraq, public dissatisfaction with George Bush, Jr's term in office), the film is at its heart a suspense tale, building drama over how and why the crime occurs.

Ignore the nay-saying criticism and enjoy this film for what it is. A political thriller done as well as the best.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What If..., April 16, 2007

By 

B. Merritt "filmreviewstew.com" (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of a President (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

Finding out all of the angry press that preceded the release of DEATH OF A PRESIDENT, I just knew I had to see it. Unfortunately I couldn't watch it on a big screen, as Regal and Cinemark (the two largest cinema chains in the nation) refused to release it on their screens. In addition to this blow, the film was again hamstrung in its marketing department by CNN and NPR who refused to run ads. Politicians lambasted the film without ever seeing it, including (surprisingly!) Hillary Clinton who called it, "...despicable...", "...absolutely outrageous...", and "...evil..." To say that I was positively drooling to see it would be an understatement! And now that I've watched it I have to ask: What was all the hubbub about? Film makers have made projects with far less taste and were much more politically charged than this mock shockumentary. The most interesting fact is that the film doesn't take a political stance (neither left nor right) but simply explores what might happen if President Bush were assassinated. The phony documentary excellently utilizes stock news footage mixed with CGI and fictional characters/situations. Trying to tell what's real and what's "inserted" is impossible, which bumps this film up a notch in terms of entertainment.

Watching Dick Cheney give a eulogy for 'Dubya' was impressive, too, as the editors sliced and diced pieces of dialogue from Ronald Reagon's funeral in with some later speeches used by the VP.

It was entertaining to see what Cheney might do if confronted with such a situation. The news media coverage of the events were believable and, probably, sadly accurate (on another plain of existence, that is). That they would seek out members of the Muslim faith in which to pin the assassination on would not surprise me in the slightest considering this administration's track record on such things. This is not a jab at their policies, per se, but only an overall view of how narrowminded the Bush administration is when it comes to international relations ("You're either with us or against us").

The only negative aspect to the film is that it's pretty slow. The only action is during demonstrations in Chicago (again, mocked) and the actual time of the assassination. The rest is dedicated to mock news footage and mockumentary style interviews with people who were affected (directly) by the assassination.

Still, this is an interesting "what-if" that'll spark some great discussions. My only concern might be that on August 19, 2007 some sick-o might take it upon himself to make this a reality. I hope all people realize that killing is wrong, regardless of how you feel about the person. This was simply a film designed to make you think about where we are in the world right now, not to take drastic measures into one's own hands.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Political Thriller as Cinema Vérité, November 24, 2007

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death of a President (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

The fictional "Death of a President" (2006) has more plausibility and resonance a year after its initial release. Despite the occasional heavy-handedness of his fauxumentary approach, director/co-writer Gabriel Range reveals some provocative truths about America and its reaction to a hypothetical assassination. Now that the controversy and critical brickbats have died down, this flawed but fascinating film can be seen in a more objective light.