George W Bush, President of the United States of America, is shot dead on October 19, 2007. From this unbelievable premise, Death Of A President goes into unchartered territory.

Director Gabriel Range creates this situation -- with real footage of President Bush -- making you believe you are watching a future assassination. He has a great script but, unfortunately, fails to make the film engrossing or even entertaining. He takes a long time to build the story, which begins with a protest rally against Bush in Chicago. The protestors are shown coming too close to Bush's cavalcade. As a viewer, you may find it hard to believe a protestor actually manages to reach the President's car.

When Bush reaches the Chicago Club to make a speech, the protestor manages to cross the police barrier and reach him. As Bush comes out after the meeting, he is shot dead.

The issue the film really highlights in the second half is how the US government has preconceived notions about one of the accused (Jamal Abu Zikri), a US citizen from Syria. They round up other suspects too but, the investigation tends to be discriminatory against the ethnicity of the accused. 

Jamal's wife makes an interesting comment in the film: 'We came from Syria for freedom and this is the freedom you gave us.'

The film speaks about the death of civil liberty and highlights issues like the Patriot Act in America. More importantly, it raises a question about the presence of American troops in Iraq after four years of war. The points being made are good, but the director fails to make them engrossing.

Rediff Rating: