The fatal head shot

INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia 

(Written in 2003)

I first discovered the potential conspiracy in JFK's murder when I viewed (many years ago) "The Man Who Saw Tomorrow," a watchable pseudo-documentary of the prophecies of Nostradamus. They show one shot inside of a bush of what looked like the outline of an assassin. Of course, we know by now that any other assassins might have been behind the fence near the grassy knoll. Then there was Oliver Stone's highly controversial "J.F.K," which looked at all the conspiracy theories and made a tapestry of them as evidence. As of 2003, fastly approaching the 40th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination, we only have more theories and possibilities. I am convinced that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, others argue that he did. "Interview With the Assassin" posits that a second gunman may have existed and is ready to convince the world he took out the President with the famous bloody head shot.

Journeyman actor Raymond J. Barry plays Walter Ohlinger, a lonely man who is slowly dying of cancer. He wants to tell the story of an extraordinary crime to Ron Kobeleski (Dylan Haggerty), an unemployed TV cameraman. Walter begins to tell the chilling tale that he is the second gunman behind the grassy knoll that shot Kennedy. Ron disbelieves him at first, but becomes convinced when Walter shows him the shell casing of the bullet. Ron is more convinced when Walter takes him on a plane trip to Dealey Plaza and shows him the exact location behind the fence of the grassy knoll. We also see an X marked on the road where the fatal head shot occurred. But is Walter truly the second gunman, or is he a man seeking attention? On the pursuit for a sickly Marine named John Seymour who will provide proof, we see John laying on the hospital bed unable to move. He calls Walter a sick man who was once institutionalized. Could Seymour be covering up the facts or is it the truth?

"Interview with the Assassin" makes you ponder if such a man would ever give himself up, claiming to be something that would gain a lot of notoriety after 40 years. On the other hand, so many witnesses have been killed or died under mysterious circumstances that there are probably few people alive who could back up such a story. Would Walter be seen as a loon or would he be taken seriously by the media? Who knows. Director Neil Burger (in his directorial debut) certainly holds our interest without ever revealing too much. Like most good films, we have to arrive at our own conclusions in determining Walter's sanity, and thus Ron's as well.

Shot on digital video, which brings verisimilitude to the proceedings (as intended), "Interview with the Assassin" is often realistic and tightly controlled. Even implausible sequences (such as Walter meeting with the current President of the U.S.) are unnerving and nail-biting. The whole film is the equivalent of a docu-thriller, exercising the video medium and exploiting for all it is worth. But what makes the film truly work is Raymond Barry's performance as the detached, hard-nosed Walter. His every move and imposing physicality make us believe that this man could be an assassin, even if he may not have killed Kennedy. He keeps us guessing right until the end. Intensely compelling at a swift 85 minute running time, "Interview with the Assassin" is often believable and frightening. For all JFK conspiracy theorists out there, this film will lend further credibility to their cause. And just who was that second gunman?