Interview with the Assassin

2003 Drama

The old man who lives across the street, Walter Ohlinger (Raymond J. Barry), invites his neighbor, Ron Kobeleski (Dylan Haggerty), over because he has a secret that he's never told anyone: He claims he was the grassy knoll assassin who shot John F. Kennedy and wants Haggerty to document his confession. He has the bullet casing which he saved and says there is one witness left alive who can prove his story. The two search for the man that hired Ohlinger, but are thwarted by mysterious forces who seemingly wish to keep Ohlinger's story suppressed. Interview With the Assassin is shot almost completely from the perspective of Haggerty's video camera and it ties in a number of well-known Kennedy-assassination-related conspiracy theories, though doesn't mix them all up like Oliver Stone's JFK.

Director: Neil Burger

Starring: Raymond J. Barry, Dylan Haggerty, Renee Faia, Kelsey Kemper, Dennis Lau

Reviews

  • Barry's deliberately unspectacular performance makes this even more powerful. He gives "Assassin" a disquieting authority.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • The film's best trick is the way that it treats conspiracy as a kind of political ''Blair Witch,'' a monstrous murk that haunts us precisely because it can never be seen.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • Neil Burger's sharply conceived, inventive movie is a highly involving piece of work.

    - The Chicago Tribune

    19 January 2013

  • May be something of a stunt, but it's a fascinating stunt that holds your attention from the start to shortly before the finish.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    19 January 2013

  • Like ''Blair,'' it never quite finds a way out of its own built-in dead-end.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • USA

    Avignon Film Festival (2003)

  • Best Cinematography

    Independent Spirit Awards (2003)

     
  • Best Feature Film

    Woodstock Film Festival (2002)