Interview with the Assassin
Written by Brian Flemming
Published June 27, 2003
Published June 27, 2003
Haven't seen Interview with the Assassin yet myself, but since I am a JFK nut, I plan to.
The trailer is short and to the point.
A roundup of some reviews on the Web:
Ron (Dylan Haggerty) is an out-of-work cameraman who may have stumbled onto the biggest scoop of his life. His crotchety next-door neighbor Walter (Raymond Barry), claiming to be dying of cancer, asks Ron to help him finally tell the story he's been hiding for nearly 40 years: that he was the infamous "second gunman" in the JFK assassination. Suspicious at first, Ron becomes increasingly credulous--perhaps too credulous--as his film and his connection with Walter develop. An artfully seamless mock-doc in the style of The Blair Witch Project, writer-director Neil Burger's debut feature also calls to mind such documentarian-falls-for-his-subject films as Man Bites Dog. But where that movie wallowed in its own meretricious nihilism, Interview offers a compelling, believable, and ultimately insightful account of the seductive nature of both documentary technique and conspiracy-minded thinking. Part of this success is no doubt due to Barry's performance as the seemingly reluctant gunman-turned-confessor: His terse affectlessness feels eerily authentic, and we feel ourselves being drawn in by him just as Ron is. But credit must also be given to Burger's witty, economical script and precise direction, which perfectly apes low-budget documentary tropes without winking at the audience. (Derek Nystrom)
How many ways can we kill JFK? Neil Burger tosses his director's megaphone into the ring with this pseudo-documentary about a man who claims to have been the second gunman, aka the "grassy knoll" assassin. The result is a fantastic story, andÑ with all due respect to Mr. StoneÑa refreshingly coherent, engrossing piece. Everyman Ron Kobeleski (Dylan Haggerty) is asked to film the alarming confession of his neighbor Walter Ohlinger (Raymond J. Barry). Ohlinger wants the world to know about his role in the Kennedy assassination before he dies, and the clock is ticking. His chilling deadpan suggests either a man who is calculating enough to kill the president, or one who is unstable enough to lie about it. The neighbors go on a cross-country quest to prove the old man's story, and Kobeleski begins to wonder whether he's chasing his own tail. The movie reminds us that a group becomes powerful because of average guys who aren't necessarily evil, simply willing. Ohlinger's detachment and disinterest in politics seem at odds with his actions. He goes along because, "You kill the most powerful man in the world, I'd say that makes you the most powerful." Kobeleski begins as an observer, but as the journey darkens, his fear and self-interests restrain him from attempts to slow its momentum. Finally, we realize that we're voyeurs, just like the guy holding the camera. If things don't work out too well for him, what does it mean for us?
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- Interview with the Assassin
- Published: June 27, 2003
- Type:
- Section: Video
- Writer: Brian Flemming
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