Death Of A President

Watched an interesting movie last night, I guess there's no point delaying the title as its the title of the post. Death of a President. Its the one that caused quite a stir last year as its an obviously fictional account of the assassination of George W. Bush. So how was it?

We first I was shocked to even find it at the local video store. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, Road to Guantanamo was the first thing I spotted that I actually wanted to see. But I just wasn't in the mood for something that depressing and real. So I walked a bit further and saw Blood Diamond. I've heard mixed reviews but it seemed like it would be worth renting at least. So I grabbed that and kept walking, when I spot Death of a President with a sniper on the cover. I immediately grabbed it and looked to see if it was the film I was remembering from a while ago. Its the kind of film that blow-hards love to hate, without even watching. They hear the title and what its about and they flip, it's easy face time for them. Insult something you know nothing about to people who will never see it.

Its a fairly well done movie that was clearly on a tight budget. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who at least partially agrees with my general views. Oh and I will say its not nearly as anti-Bush as the blow-hards would like you to think.

OH this movie also has the distinction of uttering the most terrifying two words in the English language, President Cheney.

WARNING TOO MUCH INFO AHEAD IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH IT STOP HERE!!!!

Basically the movie starts out with how the infamous day started. Bush is flying into Chicago for a speech and is supposed to leave later that same day. Chicago protesters show up in droves and are angry. They break through police lines and cause the presidential limo to have to stop, at which point the Secret Service clears a path and they take off down an alternate path. At this point the S.S. (I wish there was a different acronym so I didn't think of Nazi's every time) is in freak out mode and wants the president to cancel all outdoor activities. Bush wants to shake some hands so they have no choice but to allow it. The protesters are told they have to move back from the area they were given permits to protest at. Fights break out and a few people slip past the police in the mayhem. Soon the President is shaking hands and soon after that shots are fired. The actual assassination is the only part where Bush is played by someone else and his face is not on screen, all the rest is archive footage of the actual Bush. He is rushed to the hospital where he dies some time later. At this point it becomes a search for the killer. There are two possible killers, one is a Muslim man who's clothing had gunshot residue and police found a partial fingerprint match to the crime scene. The police later find that he had attended Al Qaeda training in Afghanistan. At which point he is considered the killer and its part of a terrorist plot despite the fact that no other link can be found to any terrorist organizations. Then another man claims that his father a soldier from gulf war 1 was the killer. The father shot himself and in his suicide note he claims responsibility. The son, a vet from the current gulf war, searches for the truth but no one wants to listen. His brother was killed in the war, and his father became disillusioned with the policies.

In the end they never quite say that it was the former soldier but its fairly obvious. Its just an interesting view of who would do it, was it the "enemy of the state" the Islamic man with terrorist connections? Or was it the bitter American soldier? I thought it was a good movie, not fantastic but good. Worth renting at least.