Death of a President

Although the film's tagline—"Do not rush to judge"—is one of the central themes of the work, it's also an appropriate plea to its audience, which has, for the most part, been ignored. Granted, depicting a U.S. president's assassination while he is still alive (and in office!) was just begging to be met with harsh criticism, but this film is less about the fictional murder of George W. Bush and more about the state of politics in our post-9/11 country. Blending real footage with staged sequences and phony first-person interview accounts, the film presents itself as a documentary looking back at the events and aftermath of Bush being gunned down following a speaking engagement in Chicago on October 19, 2007. Amazingly, this risky plot device gives way to a whodunit mystery that packs just as much suspense and drama as any Hollywood heavyweight. While obviously making social commentary about the war on terror, laws like the Patriot Act, and unjust racial profiling, this fake documentary is just as engaging and educational as anything Michael Moore has produced (only it's clearly labeled fiction). Many won't see this film on principle, but those that do will at least be challenged to think about our current affairs in a new light, and come to grips with perhaps the film's scariest idea: Dick Cheney as president.