Religious views of the Beatles the Beatles had become "more popular than Jesus". Lennon had, in fact, originally made the remark to the British newspaper "London Evening Standard" and when it was first published in the United Kingdom, in March 1966, his words had provoked no public reaction. After "Datebook" quoted his comments five months later, however, vociferous protests broke out in the United States. The Beatles' records were publicly burned, threats were made and some radio stations refused to play their music. The protest also spread to other countries including Mexico, South Africa and Spain. Two press conferences were held in the US, where
Interview with the Assassin McGavin for the "Chicago Tribune" stated ""Interview With the Assassin" is imbued with a sinister air of danger that unfortunately dissipates in the final moments." Calling Barry's performance "excellent", McGavin wrote: "He has an authoritative presence and a sense of mystery and danger, that like this movie, demands to be taken seriously." Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" compared its cinematography to "The Blair Witch Project" and described it as "a verite enigma-thriller, the pieces of which are more gripping than the finished puzzle." Manohla Dargis in the "Los Angeles Times" complimented Burger's cinematography and his choice of Barry as Ohlinger,