Interview with the Assassin

Bringing the Blair Witch method to the JFK assassination, Interview with the Assassin has an irresistible hook. A videographer begins filming his lean, hard-bitten neighbor, who has cancer and wants to get something off his conscience: he was the second gunman in Dallas on November 22, 1963. As the filmmaker pursues the story, it gradually dawns on him that the original conspiracy of silence is still operating... and that his own life may be in danger. First-time director Mel Burger sticks to the pseudo-documentary approach--no cheating here--and when the purported hit man strolls through some back streets in Dallas to re-visit his position on the grassy knoll, it's a truly eerie moment. Veteran character actor Raymond Barry makes the most of his role as the gunman, a laconic fellow with a chillingly matter-of-fact manner. The movie's concept may be a gimmick, but as gimmicks go, it's a humdinger. --Robert Horton