JFK (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Based on two books, director/co-producer/co-writer Oliver Stone's sprawling, stylish 1991 historical legal thriller 'JFK' asks 2 pivotal questions: Was John F. Kennedy's assassination the result of a conspiracy involving more than one gunman - Lee Harvey Oswald - in the Texas Book Depository and, of that's the case, who conspired to murder him? Oliver Stone's version of this story - a powerful, if flawed personal exploration of a crucial & complicated period of America's history - chronicles events leading up to the devastating November 1963 Dallas assassination & the subsequent cover-up as seen through the piercing eyes of former New Orleans D.A., Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner).
The film implies that the potential cover-up was motivated by Kennedy wanting to end the Vietnam War ... and that the people making $$ off of the war did not. Jim Garrison's hell bent quest to reveal the killer(s) AND the theory behind the plot is what drives this film. The assassination of John F. Kennedy marked the end of America's innocence and, this film is chock full of a bewildering assortment of pertinent characters & suspects: from anti-Castro activists, to military generals, to mob figures, to hangers-on, to political biggies, to the FBI, to factions of threatening power brokers, and more. Oliver Stone paints quite the canvas here and, he does so for 188 minutes.
I love a good long movie, but I believe that this somewhat protracted run time is a bit of a hindrance to my overall admiration of this admittedly superb film. Stone examines alllll the well-known conspiracy theories. The biggest one is that Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) was the fall guy for groups of pro assassins and, debatably, that JFK's murder was a coup d'etat scheme devised by none other than Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Howard) & U.S. arms makers & implemented by the CIA, all of whom- as mentioned above - wanted Kennedy eliminated because he planned to withdraw from Vietnam. Howwwever, with the aforementioned involvement of anti-Castro Cubans too, the film's complex plot becomes overburdened with these conspiracy theories. In other words, Oliver Stone strains to integrate all of them to harmonious cinematic effect.
The film's narrative framework is the inquiry by Garrison & his pursuit to prosecute New Orleans businessman/extravagant homosexual, Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones, superbly slippery), for conspiracy in JFK's murder. Kevin Costner is suitable as our 'hero', a man obsessed with this case at the expense of his home life. Most everyone else are basically extended cameos {Jack Lemmon as an old P.I. reluctant to turn into an informant; Donald Sutherland as Garrison's Deep Throat, "X", a colonel in the Air Force; Walter Matthau as politician, Russell B. Long; John Candy as outlandish lawyer, Dean Andrews Jr.; and Kevin Bacon as gay hustler Willie O'Keefe, a composite character who testifies that Clay Bertrand & Tommy Lee Jones' Clay Shaw are the same man and, that he knows David Ferrie, played by Joe Pesci, had met Lee Harvey Oswald}, but they are all brilliant. Others who pop-up: Sissy Spacek, Edward Asner, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Rooker, Vincent D'Onofrio & Sally Kirkland -- seems like all of the SAG was in this cast, ha.
'JFK' is beautifully filmed {blending top-notch cinematography with tons of actual footage} & cleverly edited in the minute-to-minute/scene-to-scene, but Stone numbs us a bit with his information overload that pads the film out to the 3 hour run time it has. That said, 'JFK' really is quite fascinating, highly persuasive & soaring technical achievement; winning Academy Awards for Robert Richardson's Cinematography and Pietro Scalia & Joe Hutshing's Editing. The period production design, period hair/make-up, & music score all aid the proceedings, as well. 'JFK' is simply a well-made piece of cinematic art; a political thriller that - despite the bloated length & flights of fancy - excels at intrigue, puzzling mystery, suspense, & weighty melodrama.
The film implies that the potential cover-up was motivated by Kennedy wanting to end the Vietnam War ... and that the people making $$ off of the war did not. Jim Garrison's hell bent quest to reveal the killer(s) AND the theory behind the plot is what drives this film. The assassination of John F. Kennedy marked the end of America's innocence and, this film is chock full of a bewildering assortment of pertinent characters & suspects: from anti-Castro activists, to military generals, to mob figures, to hangers-on, to political biggies, to the FBI, to factions of threatening power brokers, and more. Oliver Stone paints quite the canvas here and, he does so for 188 minutes.
I love a good long movie, but I believe that this somewhat protracted run time is a bit of a hindrance to my overall admiration of this admittedly superb film. Stone examines alllll the well-known conspiracy theories. The biggest one is that Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) was the fall guy for groups of pro assassins and, debatably, that JFK's murder was a coup d'etat scheme devised by none other than Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Howard) & U.S. arms makers & implemented by the CIA, all of whom- as mentioned above - wanted Kennedy eliminated because he planned to withdraw from Vietnam. Howwwever, with the aforementioned involvement of anti-Castro Cubans too, the film's complex plot becomes overburdened with these conspiracy theories. In other words, Oliver Stone strains to integrate all of them to harmonious cinematic effect.
The film's narrative framework is the inquiry by Garrison & his pursuit to prosecute New Orleans businessman/extravagant homosexual, Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones, superbly slippery), for conspiracy in JFK's murder. Kevin Costner is suitable as our 'hero', a man obsessed with this case at the expense of his home life. Most everyone else are basically extended cameos {Jack Lemmon as an old P.I. reluctant to turn into an informant; Donald Sutherland as Garrison's Deep Throat, "X", a colonel in the Air Force; Walter Matthau as politician, Russell B. Long; John Candy as outlandish lawyer, Dean Andrews Jr.; and Kevin Bacon as gay hustler Willie O'Keefe, a composite character who testifies that Clay Bertrand & Tommy Lee Jones' Clay Shaw are the same man and, that he knows David Ferrie, played by Joe Pesci, had met Lee Harvey Oswald}, but they are all brilliant. Others who pop-up: Sissy Spacek, Edward Asner, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Rooker, Vincent D'Onofrio & Sally Kirkland -- seems like all of the SAG was in this cast, ha.
'JFK' is beautifully filmed {blending top-notch cinematography with tons of actual footage} & cleverly edited in the minute-to-minute/scene-to-scene, but Stone numbs us a bit with his information overload that pads the film out to the 3 hour run time it has. That said, 'JFK' really is quite fascinating, highly persuasive & soaring technical achievement; winning Academy Awards for Robert Richardson's Cinematography and Pietro Scalia & Joe Hutshing's Editing. The period production design, period hair/make-up, & music score all aid the proceedings, as well. 'JFK' is simply a well-made piece of cinematic art; a political thriller that - despite the bloated length & flights of fancy - excels at intrigue, puzzling mystery, suspense, & weighty melodrama.