Interview with the Assassin (2002) User Reviews

Interesting - worth a watch!

[mazunderscore · 7/10 · 21 January 2007]

A good mockumentry is a hard thing to pull off. To make something fake not only seem believable through the characters and the acting, but also through the plot while at the same time making it interesting, is a hard thing to do.

Interview With the Assign, although clearly distinguishable as a mockumentry as apposed to a documentary from the very beginning, accomplishes this. The interesting characters woven into the easy to follow plot line, make for an exciting watch.

The audience immediately feels some kind of affinity with Kobeleski, being a normal kind of guy looking for work, and at the same time immediately become intrigued by the Ex-Marine apparent third gun man, Walter Ohlinger.

These two characters and their relationship hold together an otherwise shaky plot line, and we slowly follow Ron and Walter as they re-trace Walters steps more than 30 years after the shooting of JFK.

This, although quite obviously a mockumentry, (It must hard to try and convince people it's real when it's not released in theatres. One can simply read the back of the DVD to see who 'stared' in it), is worth a watch!

It's interesting and If nothing else it will get you thinking about one of the most puzzling crimes of the 20th century.

Had a lot of promise but disappointed in the end

[schlomothehomo · 6/10 · 19 January 2006]

This film had a really good premise - the presentation of a fictitious (to some of the viewers out there : yes, FICTITIOUS!) story within a factual-like packaging. This is something that Michael Crichton has done in his books in the past in titles such as "Eaters of the Dead" and "The Great Train Robbery". When done well, as Mr Crichton did, this technique can make an otherwise ordinary or even boring story great. I thought that this was what "Interview with the Assassin" was going to do.

The film started out well and the performances were good - Raymond J. Barry was particularly well-suited to his role. Later, though, it began meandering and in the end, became little more than just another Hollywood mass-produced flick. I wished that the director would have been a little bit more consistent in his vision. What did he want the movie to be? A documentary (albeit a fictitious one) or just a standard thriller? In the end, unfortunately, he took the latter route.

Documentaries which examine things in real life usually do not have a beginning, middle, and end - life is just not this tidy. This movie, however, does have a beginning, middle, and then a neat little resolution of things in the end. Movie goers can then dust the pop-corn off of their chests and return once more into the grind.

In short, "Interview with the Assassin" was a movie which could have been something new and exciting but instead ended up being something old and mediocre. As a documentary, it is not very believable (at least to me it wasn't.....), and, as a thriller, it is not very good.

A Nutshell Review: (DVD) Interview with the Assassin (2002)

[DICK STEEL · 5/10 · 31 December 2005]

Don't be fooled by the outline or tagline. This is a mockumentary, just to set your expectations right. I initially thought that it was a real documentary, with real, justifiable footage and interviews which will give the entire who-shot-JFK conspiracy a new spin. Sadly, it isn't, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Walter Ohlinger (Raymond J. Barry) claims to have been the second gunman that faithful day in Dallas. Filmmaker Ron Kobeleski (Dylan Haggerty) interviews Walter, and thought that he had perhaps the most important scoop of his career. We follow Walter back to Dallas as he demonstrates exactly what he did on that day to the audience.

Unfortunately, that's the good part. It goes downhill after that with Walter's account that his ex-Marine buddy and Commanding Officer had a role in masterminding the entire thing, and Ron and Walter go in search of that CO. But this mockumentary slowly takes a life of its own, and spins off into a thriller with a twist ending.

The delivery's quite raw, made to look like a documentary, but knowing that it's all scripted, just makes it a bit of a letdown. You would be better off with Oliver Stone's JFK instead.

This is a relatively bare bones Code 1 DVD.

Minamalist Masterpiece

[feverdeang · 28 August 2003]

Why aren't there more comments and viewers for this disturbing little gem? The best conspiracy movie(JFK, PI or otherwise) in may a year hits all the right notes technically and plot wise. Filmmed digitally (SONY PD-150) with such skill that you'll be checking your TV/DVD resolution in the first five minutes, the filmmakers use every advantage and disadvatage of the digital format to their benefit. The camera work begins static, rigid local TV news style then slowly takes on a subtle impressionistic style that blurs the line between docudrama and fiction. Viewers not interested in film as a meta-(self referential) text need not apply. After starting with the formal aspects of the JFK mystery, camera angles, do pictures lie, tampered

evidence and conflicting witnesses the film then seems to turn on the viewer so that we are put in the position of one of those unlucky witnesses who were

bribed, intimidated, bullied, framed or killed for seeing just a little too much. The performances are uniformly great, starting with the ballistics man who plays his part so straight I had to mentally check and remind myself this wasn't a

documentary. The ex-wife was brilliant. All the actors were just realistic to the point of surrealism. I'm now babbling, SEE THIS MOVIE

Something new

[KnightsofNi11 · 7/10 · 19 June 2012]

I learned an important lesson from Interview with the Assassins. If your elderly neighbor claims to have shot John F. Kennedy... run. Rob Kobeleski, the main character of this film, unfortunately didn't know that. Interview with the Assassin is about a reporter, Rob, whose neighbor, Walter, claims to have been the second gunman on the grassy knoll on that fateful day in Dallas back in 1963. Intrigued, Rob tries to learn more, but gets himself in over his head as a massive conspiracy unfolds around he and Walt, putting both of their lives in more danger than he could have imagined.

The intriguing catch to this film is that it is all shot from Rob's perspective. Rob operates the camera and we follow the story along from his eyes and his vantage point. It adds a very unique allure to a film with an oddly compelling story. It makes the film a very interesting watch and it engages us in the story in a very different way. Of course, without this gimmick Interview with the Assassin likely wouldn't amount to anything, but that is usually the case with these kinds of films; see Cloverfield or The Blair Witch Project.

Personally, I'm a sucker for these types of films. I haven't seen one in this style that I didn't like, and the same goes for Interview with the Assassin. It's a great little film that excellently blends suspense, action, and gripping drama. The story is one of those that makes you turn your head in confusion at multiple points, sometimes out of absurdity but mostly out of genuine interest in the bizarre story that unfolds in this film. There are definitely some odd and possibly unnecessary elements in the film, and the script falters at points, but overall this is a unique experience. Granted it doesn't amount to a whole lot and you can sort of see the climax coming, but for a relatively short film it's totally worth the watch.

good idea... well done...

[hedin_88 · 7/10 · 14 April 2008]

i started watching this movie when i ran into it, so i probably skipped the first 10 minutes or so but never moved form the chair until it finished. Its a great piece of confusing film making. Its suppose to be a documentary and it looks like one too... I kinda caught my attention at that point. Otherwise it would be boring and unrealistic. The only thing that might be a bit stinky is the too-good image shown all the time and that the cam is on in moments when no normal person would have in mind to turn it on. The acting is good... i thing that it is more difficult to act in such a fake documentary than a real movie... Its definitely not a chill out movie but not much of action is to be seen either... just a great idea paced in a special package. Watch it if you might thing it is interesting but if you think it is good.... nope, not much...

Carried along by a strong performance

[MBunge · 6/10 · 2 August 2010]

Interview With The Assassin is a very well made faux documentary marred only by a too-clever-by-half ending. With a disturbingly cold lead performance and just the right touch of paranoia, it draws you in and pulls you along in a shadowy world of suspicion and uncertainty. This film builds to a powerful climax but falls noticeably flat after that.

Ron Kobeleski (Dylan Haggerty) is an out of work TV cameraman who gets an unusual request form an older neighbor. Walter Ohlinger (Raymond J. Barry) says he wants Ron to film him confessing to a crime. With nothing better to do, Ron consents, only to find out that Walter's confession is to being the second gunman in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. That begins a journey that takes Ron and Walter from the killing ground of Dallas to Washington DC in search of the proof to back up Walter's story and takes Ron into the dark and possibly unsettled mind of a man who may have changed the course of history.

This movie is entirely dependent upon the performance of Raymond J. Barry. Walter is the one almost always on screen while Ron is behind the camera. He's also the one who drives the plot while, outside of an effort to interview Walter's ex-wife (Kate Williamson), Ron does nothing but tag along. Walter is the one who explains everything and figures out what to do next. Whether Interview With The Assassin is any good or not turns entirely on Barry and he delivers. He gives Walter an unflinching emotional detachment that could mark him as either evil or insane. Walter talks about people and things like he knows he should feel something for them but doesn't. The most powerful parts of the story are when Walter retraces his actions on the day he claims to have killed JFK with a rifle shot from the grassy knoll. The simplicity of his actions and the uncomplicated nature of his motivations combine with hand held video storytelling to create that sense of verisimilitude this sort of thing tries and usually fails to achieve.

No one else has much to do in Interview With The Assassin. Ron is mostly a disembodied and somewhat dull witted voice from behind the camera. The other actors get no more than a few minutes each on screen and while suitably naturalistic for this genre, that means they're also unmemorable. The camera-work faithfully mimics the real video style, though there are a few too many strategically placed mirrors so the audience can see Ron behind the lens. I mean, putting a mirror inside a bank vault may have seemed like a smart idea but the implausibility of it smacks you in the face.

And after quietly and intelligently building to a moment when the question of Walter's honesty or delusions blows up in Ron's face, the movie lamely tries to pull a double twist at the end that's capped off by a conspiracy theory epilogue which undermines everything that happens in the last 10 minutes of the film.

Disappointing conclusion aside, Interview With The Assassin is one of the better entries in the faux documentary genre. It also gets bonus points for keeping the camera steady enough that you won't get motion sick watching it.

Meet the second gunman from the Kennedy assassination

[OJT · 6/10 · 4 February 2014]

Well, the title of this review is no more true than the film. Because this is a mocks entry about the man who claims to be the second gunman from the tragic assassination of Kennedy back in November 22nd 1963. This film is made out just like a documentary in style, and is first feature if what wax to become a great film maker, Neil Burger. At least I think so, because he's the director behind Limitless, The Illusionist and The lucky ones. There's most certainly more interesting films to come.

"I was a sick fu@@ back then" he says, the second assassin, Walter Ohliger, played by Raymond J. Barry. Filmed in Dallas, with the on location spots where it all happened, back in 1963.

There is a strange weakness with this film, though, and that is that this was more interesting before the 50 year revival of the whole thing. I just saw all of the other film about what happened, and this fall a bit down as a novelty dud to that. It doesn't add to the alleged mysteries about the case in the same way as it did before all the anniversary. Some of the tension had been taken away from it.

The film is very well acted. It's greatly depicted, just like an ordinary documentary would have been. On the other hand the film gets more interesting when it comes to the uncertainty of what's going to happen filming these ins and persons. Because there's more than one occurring.

Well done, and a great debut feature, even if it hasn't held the same interest after the anniversary.

Paranoia American Style

[littlemartinarocena · 8/10 · 20 February 2007]

Raymond J Barry carrying his paranoia like a badge of honor takes us for a extraordinary ride of the creepiest kind. Feeding into our own fascination with all the conspiracy theories surrounding the JFK assassination. Neil Burger brilliantly concocts a mock documentary that feels truer than most real documentaries and I was taken in, totally. I felt as eager to get to the mysterious John Seymour as the interviewer - a splendid Dylan Haggerthy -. The interview of the assassin's ex wife, played chillingly real by Kate Williamson, is a little gem on its own and the performances, if you can call them that, are uniformly startling, embedded in that, clumsy but undeniable truth that only non professional actors are capable of. Recommended for Unsolved Mysteries junkies as well as for film lovers everywhere

Intriguing premise but never believable or plausible

[Robert_duder · 7/10 · 17 July 2006]

A film like this was long over due. It only made sense to make a film about the other gunman who infamously supposedly shot from the knoll. Director, writer and creator Neil Burger attempts to make the film as real as possible by making it look like a real documentary made by a amateur film maker and newsman. Unfortunately the whole "Blair Witch" angle doesn't work at all for this film because it never feels real. There are far too many holes in the style of the film making. Although Burger says in his director commentary that they had to be careful in the way that they filmed it because only what the film maker sees can be what is filmed but that's not the case. The angles are wrong, his cameras change and go places where cameras would NEVER be allowed (and even though he has a pair of glasses with a hidden camera quite often it's a hand camera he's using, dangling at this side or in front of him.) The "film maker" character utilizes what would likely be thousands of dollars but yet is unemployed?? All that aside the film IS interesting and probably would have made a far better regularly made thriller than the mock-umentary style they chose to go with. The film takes the viewer from a small California suburb to Dealy Plaza in Texas (which is a great location and interesting to watch the "killer" return to,) to Bethesda Naval Hospital. Fortunately for the film and for Burger the film is captivating and riveting because of it's lead actor.

Veteran actor Raymond J. Barry plays Walter Ohlinger. Supposedly riddled with cancer he makes a confession to a local neighbor that he knows is a cameraman and former reporter saying he "finally wants to talk." Ohlinger was the gunman on the grassy knoll and delivered the head shot that killed Kennedy. Barry's Ohlinger is brutal. He's cold blooded, rough, vindictive and completely insane but in a very subtle way. He's been boiling over living the regular life and now has snapped. Ohlinger makes this film watchable. He's downright disturbed and Barry is brilliant in the role. You easily believe he could have done this crime and has no regrets about it or knows nothing about the extent of the conspiracy. Dylan Haggerty plays film maker Ron Kobeleski. Unfortunately despite Haggerty's TV actor experience he seems completely inept in this role. Barry plays such a strong character and to have an equally strong co-star would have made this film absolutely brilliant but Haggerty flounders and comes across like a Grade school play actor. His fear and emotions are not well acted and in all honesty he kind of ruins the story.

Probably one of the most unique aspects of Interview With The Assassin is that despite being about Kennedy's Assassination, it has NOTHING to do with any sort of theories about his murder or conspiracy plots or anything like that because as the shooter Ohlinger knows nothing and admits to that as such. He never gives any sure fire evidence to the truth of his involvement but he does try. Most of the suspense in the film comes from the fact that despite Kobeleski's doubt he feels like he's being followed and that his life is in danger. The twist at the end is a pretty big twist and you certainly don't see it coming but it doesn't build up very well and doesn't hold you on the edge of your seat so that you're truly shocked by the ending. Overall big Kennedy fans might enjoy this twist of a story but it's certainly fictional and never attempts to be otherwise. The story and acting for the most part is so implausible that you never get riveted by it. It's an average film with one outstanding performance about an outstanding idea. 7/10

Completely missable

[ShiiStyle · 1/10 · 4 June 2008]

The movie opens great, if a bit haphazard in its pacing. The suspense slowly builds up. The realistic, amateurish style is used to better effect than in Cloverfield where the idea of someone lugging an HD camera around with night vision was slightly absurd. At some point I noticed the movie was over halfway done and I was not yet caught up in the suspense. It was still kind of silly and I would have turned it off if I hadn't paid money for it. When we finally reach the "thrill," it's a predictable letdown. This movie does not excite the imagination, and the ending is satisfying to precisely no-one (maybe the directors were trying too hard to make it realistic by giving it a crappy ending). I won't spoil it here, but if you watch it through, stick around for the Animal House-esquire exposition in the last half-minute, which is laughably bad.

Early Effort of a First-Rate Director

[ossurworld · 10/10 · 3 March 2007]

After viewing the intriguing and well-done ILLUSIONIST, my next stop was to look at Neil Burger's first film. Like his well-known movie about magic, the first major picture he directed also deals with illusion and truth. This time he sets his aim at a mock documentary about the Kennedy Assassination. Raymond Barry plays a crusty and dangerous shadowy figure named Ohlinger who recounts to an unemployed television cameraman that he is the alleged "Second Gunman" at the Grassy Knoll in Dallas. From here the younger man becomes sucked into conspiracy, odd happenings, and culminates with apparent murder and a possible second presidential assassination attempt. Burger weaves this with clever technique, building a more and more credible and incredible narrative. As one early character notes, all this is quite dangerous. But the cameraman's ambition supersedes his judgment, and he follows the mad gun man to the ultimate end. What Burger has done with a small budget and two effective lead actors is truly delightful. For those who want clever use of cameras, enjoy the possibilities of history, and cherish the notion of seeing a brilliant and talented director unfolding before our eyes, this film is worth it. Based on this and the ILLUSIONIST, Neil Burger is a fresh talent who deserves our full attention.

Great idea, Bad movie

[caelis · 4/10 · 29 May 2003]

The idea is simply incredible and the start of the movie lives up to the expectations I had. But as the movie progressed my feeling for it got lower and lower.

Every second, every shot, every line of dialog makes it a bit more unbelievable. It's as if the director couldn't decide whether to make a suspense/conspiracy movie or a realistic doc/mockumentary so he decided to do both and the result is a complete letdown. I expected to get a good movie but instead I got a crossover between 'The Blair Witch project' and 'Bowling for Columbine'.

The only thing that saves it just a little bit is the performance of Raymond J. Barry.

4/10.

Very good low-budget mock documentary, Raymond Barry is great

[vchimpanzee · 24 October 2004]

Walter is 62 and has terminal cancer. He has a confession to make before he dies, and he chooses cameraman Ron to tell his story to. Apparently Walter fired the shot that killed John Kennedy.

Ron and Walter visit Dallas to see where the event happen, and later they go in search of the truth ... but someone doesn't want them to know what really happened. Toward the end, things get interesting but ridiculous.

Raymond Barry was very convincing, very natural as Walter. Most of the characters in the movie seemed like real people. The jerky, almost amateurish camera work made this seem like a real documentary. Nearly all of the film was told from the point of view of one of Ron's cameras, including security cameras at his house. It was a very low-frills production, with almost no music except for radios and background music playing in buildings.

I'm no expert, but this seems like the sort of film that wins awards or at least gets nominated. If it had been a real documentary, it probably would have.

Terrifying

[drifkin · 9/10 · 17 June 2003]

Blair Witch Project meets Oliver Stone's JFK and puts both to shame. Nasty, brutish, and short (85 minutes) and true to life in every other way too. Highly sophisticated and intelligent, it cuts right to our most primal fears while presenting itself in a deceptively primitive fashion. Explores the shadows in our recent history and national psyche with acute, paranoiac vision.

Don't Even Bother

[ArtisanArtist · 2/10 · 7 May 2009]

Apart from some fairly good acting (from the non-lone gunman from the grassy knoll who pops up, cancer-ridden, to give a last confession), this movie sucks bad. First & foremost, this thing IS a movie, but you won't get this info from the movie makers, who deliberately hide that fact, presenting a documentary, for all intents and purposes. Even the end credits collude in this egregious fiction by stating that the camera guy, imprisoned at the very end, died of "multiple stab wounds" in the slammer. Oh yeah, and the bullet shell "disappeared", once it was taken into custody by the police. Maybe it's just me (?), but I think this film should make it clear, upfront, that it's *deliberate* fiction, masking itself as documentary-style reality. It seems completely unethical to do otherwise. It's hidden because maybe then we'd all realize what a tedious time-waster this thing is. It also ends up making Real conspiracy data seem frivolous, indeed. One almost wonders: was the CIA behind this piece 'o schlock? Or maybe it's more about the filmmakers being ridden with quite pretentious notions of "truth" and "reality", who get their kicks pulling the wool over our collective eyes because, to them, doing so is a big deal of artful artifice, instead of the cheap, stupid trick it ends up being.

Powerfully subtle. The "Blair Witch" of conspiracy theories.

[AJ4F · 9/10 · 12 August 2006]

Not knowing what to expect, I recorded this on broadcast TV and was riveted from the opening scene. I usually like movies about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and this was a great example.

The sense of place and tension was gripping, even with no soundtrack. The very lack of music added to the stark feel. A subtle scene involving video surveillance was especially chilling. It makes other movies seem overproduced and fake. They should use this technique in a lot more films. No need to involve a cameraman's angle; just have everyone talk and act naturally. Most movie dialog is too slick.

It's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of the shooter, laconically yet frighteningly played by Raymond J. Barry. He's one of those actors you know you've seen before but can't quite place. I'm going to check out his other movies to see if he pulls off that same quality.

Without giving away the ending, I don't think they could have done it any better. IWTA isn't as overtly scary as a more famous pseudo-documentary about a witch, but I put the two films in a similar category. You have to wonder if this was inspired by the BWP concept. It's excellent either way. I'll have to watch it again to catch anything they cut on TV.

...an impressive and challenging piece of work.

[paul_supercala · 10 December 2002]

Although it seems strange that the film (apparently coincidentally) opens on the day of the 39th anniversary of JFK's assassination, it thankfully stands on its own as an intriguing look at the possibility of the "grassy knoll gunman" theory. While it is by no means a conspiracy or propaganda film, it is, in fact, a "fake documentary" a la Blair Witch, that seems often very real thanks to Raymond J. Barry's amazing performance as a nut (or is he?) who claims to be the second shooter in the President Kennedy's assassination. His commanding presence adds a sense of danger and seriousness that makes the film such an impressive and challenging piece of work.

First time writer/director Neil Burger brings you in to the story and keeps you wrapped up in it in a way that most great feature films do, while still having that gritty documentary feel. Dylan Haggerty plays the cameraman who is "lucky" enough to become involved in such a dangerous story that he cannot decide if his subject is for real or not until he goes over the edge.

It's a fascinating concept, really. Imagine someone with information of that magnitude coming forth with his story only because he has a few months left to live. Would anyone really let that happen? As closely guarded as the true evidence is, you can bet that it wouldn't, which is also examined here in a fantastically twisted web of paranoia, obsession, and fantasy.

For anyone that's ever had a fascination or interest in the JFK assassination, this is a must see. Art house folks will probably eat this one up as well, as it is challenging and thoughtful, and completely free of any Hollywood gloss - what a combination! This one is definitely worth catching in the theater.

Very nice...

[BlockChuckster · 9/10 · 11 June 2003]

Use of nostalgia to paint the portrait of a man that could possibly be out there. This was Conspiracy Theory Meets The Blair Witch...it just had the right touch, the right feel to make it a truly enjoyable picture about an event that has been overblown in the past. I'm sure that Oliver Stone will be adding this movie to his own private DVD collection.

A Very Impressive Docudrama.

[Hollywoodrulez · 8/10 · 25 February 2011]

It felt real to me I found myself believing every word Walter said. Even if the guy was nuts his skill and knowledge pointed to the fact that he could have killed JFK. He knew the scene of the crime very well ( And I don't mean from a spectators POV) To much evidence proves that he was the second shooter. The way it was shot helped the overall look of the film. I actually felt like I was watching a documentary until the cast credit came up at the end. Then I realized that this was a filmmakers recount on the actual confession. Many other forms of media have been created about the JFK murder but this one really stole the show for me. I also enjoyed the fact that a former American hero of the marines would actually be the guy to secure supreme power by killing the president. I got to say the scene towards the end where Walter is proving he done it by getting a gun into the white house and about to shoot another president was totally crazy in all the right ways.

It's not real, but damn does it ever look it

[scottsummerton · 20 May 2003]

This film is amazing. 100% amazing. Everything about it is so real, all the little touches lead to it looking like a true documentary, and yet there are some great filmmaking techniques that are "happy accidents" that advance it as a dramatic story as well.

The lead actor is frighteningly good, as is the mostly off-camera actor playing Ron... very impressive and just downright astonishing.

Recommended easily, and its very rewatchable too. Hell, even some real documentaries don't hold up to repeated viewings like this mock-one does.

Superb movie.. gripping and so convincing.

[johnnysaunderson · 10/10 · 29 March 2011]

Where have they been hiding this one all these years? It's just too real... I had to check it out on the internet to find out it is fiction! Being a real life news/documentary cameraman, I can tell you that this is totally convincing and compulsive. I happened upon it shortly after it was being screened and could not take my eyes off it. The reporter in particular is absolutely the real deal. I'm watching the screen thinking to myself "how come I haven't heard about this before? The assassin... who is this guy and how come I haven't heard about him before now?" This is definitely one for the DVD collection and definitely a one hundred percent MUST SEE BEFORE I DIE!!

Not bad. Could've been better.

[Onthethreshold · 8/10 · 17 September 2003]

This film can't help but make one think that perhaps there is such a person as the 'second gunman' still out there today, and that such a person could indeed come forward before their time was up to tell the truth. The film is exceptionally intelligent in this regard, however I wish it had been filmed in the more traditional sense. The use of camcorders pretty much throughout this film is certainly unique and not as bad as my heading might suggest, but to have made this a film in the traditional manner truly would've made it a 'chilling and terrifying' piece of work. Nonetheless, this is a movie that makes you think and proves yet again, that even 40 years later, the circumstances surrounding JFK's assassination still continues to capture the people's imagination.

It's already been said, but I'll chime in anyway...

[tuttletale88 · 9 July 2006]

Raymond J. Barry makes this movie, no doubt about that. I'm so glad I didn't recognize him from his previous credits--there's nothing like getting involved with a character only to realize halfway through the movie that he played the zany science teacher from a favorite Disney film or something.

I stumbled across this beaut at a new video store that seems to be a clearing house for tons of obscure movies that the major chains can't or won't carry because they aren't flash-in-the-pan box office hits from six months ago. Unfortunately, I read on the back cover that it was nominated for a screenplay award, which led me to realize that it would NOT be a true documentary.

Still, I enjoyed it throughout, and was impressed to read in the DVD notes that the dialog was scripted. Usually in a guerrilla-style shoot with a cast of relative unknowns (see "The Last Horror Movie") you can tell almost immediately that the actors are reciting words from the page, rather than improvising like they should. That wasn't the case here, and although I only give it an 8 overall, it was definitely worth the 50 cents I paid to rent it, and then some.

Cinematic Classic: Both shocking as well as fascinating to the trained and untrained eye

[sol-kay · 9/10 · 24 April 2004]

****SPOILERS**** Fascinating as well as thought-provoking documentary-style movie about a 62 year-old former US Marine sniper claiming to be the unknown gunman on the grassy knoll that shot and killed President John F. Kennedy on the fateful afternoon of November 22, 1963 in Dallas Texas.

Asking his San Bernardino Calif. neighbor laid-off KXPX TV cameraman Ron Kobeleski, Dylan Haggerty, to film him Walter Ohlinger, Raymond J. Barry, wants to get something off his chest as well as his mind that has been bothering him for almost 40 years. Told by his doctor that he has cancer and no more then six months to live Walter feels that he can't and shouldn't take this secret with him to the grave but has to let the world know about it. He chooses Ron to video-tape his long kept secret and have it broadcast on national TV after his death.

Walter tells Ron that he's the second sniper who shot JFK on November 22, 1963 and the one who really killed him not Lee Harvey Oswald as everyone has been told by the government and media. Taking Ron to a bank safe deposit-box that he has Walter shows him a spent 6.5 shell casing that he claims to be from the bullet that killed JFK.

Ron going to a ballistic lab to have the casing examined is told later by the lab technician that the casing was manufactured in 1962. It's also determined that the indention on it where it's been fired was made between one to three years later between 1962 to 1965. Which made it possible to be the bullet that killed JFK on November 22, 1963.

Later Ron and Walter go to see a long time friend and former Marine Jimmy Jones, Jered McVay. Walter is surprised to find out that his former CO in the Marine Corp. John Seymour, Derrell Sandeen, is still alive and living in Virginia. Seymour was the one behind the plot to kill JFK by getting Walter to do the shooting. It's when Walter and Ron found out about Seymour being alive that strange things started happening to both of them.

The two are followed on the highways and roads by cars as well as on the streets by strange and unknown persons getting threatening phone calls day and night telling them to get of the case. Walter starts to get more and more paranoid and disturbed over whats happening to him as well as Ron. Looking out the window of their motel room one night Walter sees someone in the parking lot spying on him and runs out to see who it is only to have him drive away.

Later going to a private investigator Garry Deetz, Nicolas Mitz, with the car license plate number Walter finds out that it belongs to a local policeman Alan Deivecchio, Jim Hisen. Going to Deivecchio's home Walter brutally beats him up where Ron tells Walter to stop being so irrational and wanton. It will wrack everything that their doing to get to the bottom of the JFK killing by him proving that he was the killer.

Getting to John Seymour's home in Virginia they find his son John Seymour Jr. Jack Tate who tell Walter and Ron that his father is very sick and in the Bethesda naval Hospital. Seeing Seymour at the hospital he tells Ron that Walter is sick and crazy and was institutionalized for mental illness and is also very dangerous. Feeling that he's about to call for help as Seymour tries to press the button for help Walter takes it away from him. Walter then tells Ron to leave him alone with Seymour so he can have a little heart to heart talk with his fellow Marine buddy. Later Walter leaving Seymour tells the startled and shocked Ron that Seymour had just died of natural causes.

Ron by now starts to realize that Walter is unstable and dangerous and gets in touch with his ex-wife Kate Williamson. Kate tells Ron that she has proof that Walter was in a mental hospital suffering from a breakdown as well as mental illness in 1963 at the time when JFK was killed in Dallas.

Ron confronting Walter with this evidence is told by Walter that his ex-wife is nuts but admits that yes it's true that there is documentation of him being committed in late 1963. But that was only a cover story so he could have an alibi for the Dallas police and FBI about the JFK killing that Seymour provided for him and then have Lee Harvey Oswald framed for the JFK assassination.

By now Ron starts to realizes, or so he thinks, that Walter is an obvious dangerous crack-pot and tells him that he's had enough of his off-the-wall stories about him being the man who killed JFK. Walter is also told by Ron that if he keeps going along with him both he and Walter will either be killed or jailed or put away in a mental ward for life.

Walter outraged that Ron still doesn't believe him tells him that he didn't want to do this but now he will. Telling Ron that if he wants proof positive that he killed the president of the USA that he should meet him in Washington D.C the next day and he'll get all the proof that he needs! It will convince not only him but the world that he, Walter Ohlinger, killed the president.

Feeling now that there is something to what Walter's been telling him Ron goes to D.C to meet and see just what proof he has to show him and shockingly finds out that Walter was not the phony and crack-pot that he thought that he was. But far truer in what he was telling him then he ever dreamed of in his most wildest and bloodcurdling nightmares.