Hinckley: I Shot The President Review
A relatively self-contained biopic about a man who has taken on increasing relevance in the last few months, Hinckley: I Shot The President respectfully dives into the mistake of a lifetime for the titular shooter, while asking the question; what does forgiveness mean?
The film tells the story of John Hinckley, the man who shot President Ronald Reagan after idolising Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver and stalking Jodie Foster. His attempted assassination of the then-President, dedicated to the actress Foster, ultimately failed, but he still served decades in a federal mental facility. Now released, he is trying to make a name for himself as a singer-songwriter as he seeks the forgiveness of a nation.
Director Neil McGregor tackles this subject matter with the sensitive hand of one aware he is dealing with a man for whom mental health issues ruined his life. He never shies away from the fascinating incident that thrust Hinckley into the spotlight, but he does perhaps give him a little too much grace; in some respects, this treads the boards between respect for subject and manifesto a little too finely.
That being said, the story (clocking in at around 90 mins) does a great job of avoiding some of the pitfalls associated with this sort of genre. There is, of course, a natural climax in Hinckley’s story - that moment where he pulled the trigger and shot Ronald Reagan - but McGregor manages to avoid the all too often feeling that everything that comes after that moment doesn’t matter, and he does so by couching the story in Hinckley’s own work redeeming himself and getting his mental health under control.
If that take could at times feel like a cynical hook to bait the subject into an interview, it is repaired by both the brief inspection of that exact thought perpetrated on John by other interviewers, and by the sudden cancellation of John’s Brooklyn-based concert; a moment that makes you feel actually quite sad for the fellow. While it might not be quite that high stakes, McGregor does a wonderful job of threading the needle here, and it leads to an imminently watchable documentary from a fascinatingly unique character.
Visually, this documentary blends some interview footage with a wide variety of B-roll. It’s the filmmaking teams’ treatment of some of the stills, bringing depth to them in post-production, that feels fresh and engaging, and the wide array of archival work really puts you in the time period. The tapes of Jodie Foster and John Hinckley speaking on the phone are both remarkable for their insight, and remarkable for how invasive they feel.
This may not have the sheen and polish of a big Netflix doco, and it is let down undoubtedly by the scale of the story (there really isn’t that much to tell about Hinckley, and perhaps that is part of his own personal tragedy). But Hinckley: I Shot The President does a great job of justifying its own existence, and it does that by really laser-focusing in on the shooter’s own voice. It’s a testament to Hinckley’s own work and the way the documentary sets up that he has paid his debt to society, that you’re open to hearing him speak in this manner - indeed, you’re set up to feel sorry for the guy even as he’s communicating back and forward with Ted Bundy from prison. It’s an intriguing film indeed, and it will be interesting to see how audiences respond to what is ultimately an apology from this would be assassin.
