It's a fair question to ask: How would I (or other critics) feel about "Death of a President" if the assassin's bullets hit Bill Clinton or Al Gore or a politician who would be president such as John McCain or Barack Obama? Or an unknown actor playing the leader of the free world?

		'Death of a President' Rating: R for brief violent images Director: Gabriel Range http://www.deathofapresident.com/

Its target, of course, is President Bush, and the movie that rocked the Toronto International Film Festival arrives today at the SouthSide Works Cinema and both Destinta theaters.

It would be naive to think that Bush faithful will be able to sit through the picture and appreciate its technical artistry or originality or the way it uses the assassination to inspire debate about the post-9/11 world.

They probably won't be in the theater to start, although one of the smartest comments I heard about "DOAP" came from the man seated behind me in Toronto.

David Schwartz, chief curator of the Museum of the Moving Image, said, "I think there are a lot of people who are so angry at Bush this is almost a fantasy film for them or a feel-good film but ... the film doesn't make you feel that way."

He's correct. For one thing, Dick Cheney ascending to the presidency and the implementation of an even more restrictive Patriot Act would make some Americans long for the good old days.

Beyond that, the tone is solemn (no R.E.M. songs or flashy Michael Moore style, as in "Fahrenheit 9/11") and the faux Bush aides talk about the president with reverence and respect, although it may be impossible to park your prejudices or voting history at the door.

In blending real and doctored footage, British director Gabriel Range "stages" the shooting of President Bush in Chicago in October 2007. That is tucked into a faux TV documentary about the killing, hunt for the assassin and subsequent trial. Actors playing Secret Service agents, journalists, White House advisers and others are interviewed.

Range employed this same technique in a 2003 TV documentary called "The Day Britain Stopped," which used a series of transportation disasters to make its point. He contends events in "DOAP" wouldn't have had the same impact had he used a fictional president, and he's right.

However, in presenting his rush to judgment, Range seems to ignore America's obsession with forensic evidence. Would the case have to be airtight in such a historic, heinous crime? Wouldn't the start of the trial be hobbled by delays and attract larger legions of lawyers and media?

Those are niggling distractions, however. This isn't about the pointillist dots. It's about the big picture and how all fingers point to terrorism whenever anything happens. Just think about the initial reaction to the fiery crash that killed Yankee pitcher Cory Lidle in Manhattan.

"DOAP" is a better example of innovative filmmaking than pure political thriller, but it may keep you guessing. And it has enough hot-button topics (terrorism, anti-Arab sentiment, the war in Iraq, public protests, civil liberties) to keep you arguing until election night ... 2008.