Death of a President (2006)

What if George W. Bush was assassinated?

Before the secret service busts down my door, rifles in hand, this isn't a question posed by me, but rather the premise of the compelling, provocative and controversial faux-documentary, Death of a President.

A seamless mix of real archival footage, doctored material and original film, Death of a President is presented as a contemporary documentary exploring the fictional assassination of the 43rd president of the United States of America in Chicago, Illinois on 19 October, 2007.

The central conceit gives the impression that Death of a President is nothing more than an offensive, headline-grabbing stunt depicting the murder of the controversial world leader. Reaction prior to its premiere on British TV network More4 was predictably outraged. Yet as the film unfolds, it becomes apparent that the assassination of Bush is never celebrated and the repercussions of the event are entirely negative.

The first half of the film deals with the lead-up to the assassination, as Bush attends a conference at a hotel in Chicago where a major anti-war demonstration is taking place. As the President delivers his speech inside, the nearby rally becomes increasingly aggressive. With Bush's death serving as the documentary's midway point, the filmmakers take the time to paint a convincing picture of the kind of meticulous security preparations that would actually take place on this sort of occasion. It's a lengthy set-up, but necessary to give the film the development it needs to prove its premise is not a cheap gimmick.

The inevitable scene in which Bush takes two bullets while walking down the rope line is not dwelled upon. It's a handful of suitably chaotic seconds shot using a range of equipment – digital cameras, handheld cameras, security cameras, even mobile phone cameras – in order to realistically represent how the incident might be captured on film. The shooting is shown only once and in no way is it glamourised or applauded. His eventual death in hospital is leaked to the media; the unconfirmed accounts are shown in a brief montage, but, despite being fictional, the viewer still feels the kind of shock that's strictly reserved for when a major news story like this breaks. Curiously, the White House's confirmation of these reports is never shown.

The film's second half develops into a fascinating whodunit as Dick Cheney assumes the office of the President, and the United States government begins to hastily look for someone to blame for the attack. Hundreds of suspects are detained and dozens of theories are debated, giving the film the opportunity to explore such weighty topics as civil liberties and racial profiling. While the blame is periodically aimed at militant activists, Al-Qaeda, the Syrian government and others, the actual culprit's tragic story is much closer to home.

The impressively slick footage is interspersed with interviews with a range of people involved in the event, including secret service staff, Presidential advisors, members of the press and suspects. The background given to some of the interviewees is compelling, including one forensics expert who walked away from his job after being instructed to draw a premature conclusion on the examination of evidence that wasn't actually conclusive. The actors portraying the interviewees are mostly convincing, and in some cases, exceptionally so. The material with which they're given to work is largely first-rate.

While Death of a President could have been a documentary about the assassination of a fictional world leader, the film would lose much of its resonance. Bush's unpopularity may be prime bait for a script of this nature, but the film's true intent is to explore the repercussions that a President's choices – and death – would have on the world. If you can handle a film about the assassination of a real-life public figure, Death of a President is a unique and provocative docu-mystery well worth checking out.

Unsurprisingly, the film hasn't tapped the US market. However, Death of a President is finally slated for release in American cinemas less than three weeks from today, on 20 January, 2009: the date of Barack Obama's inauguration.