Range has a marvelous feel for the clichés and conventions of TV-news documentary, and the tone of mournful elegy he strikes here is both convincing and -- believe me, I'm shocked to be writing this -- moving.
There's something foul about staging the assassination of a sitting president in order to push a political agenda that could just as easily have been put forward without resorting to such sensationalism.
Death of a President is celluloid mediocrity. It's neither interesting nor convincing.
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
As convincing as the manipulated footage of the President's death in Chicago in October 2007 is, the movie itself cannot be more unconvincing in its approach.
50
VarietyTodd McCarthy
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Disappointingly, Death of a President shrinks from its promise as a piece of genuinely radical or adventurous speculative fiction.
50
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Dramatically inert but a minor techno-miracle, Range's movie is a faux documentary with fake talking heads and seamless digital effects.
50
PremiereEthan Alter
PremiereEthan Alter
There's no question that Death of a President fulfills its objective as a conversation starter, but as a movie, it's sketchy at best.
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The flaw in Death of a President isn't one of morality. It's one of dramatic interest.
12
New York PostKyle Smith
New York PostKyle Smith
The only thing that's shocking about Death of a President is how boring it is.