JFK
by Oliver Stone
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Product details
Actor: Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Costner, Michael Rooker, Tommy Lee JonesDirector: Oliver Stone
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 189 minutes
Release Date: 2003-02-04
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of JFK
Movie Review: Political perfection...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have made it pretty clear in the past that Oliver Stone is a director I just don't really get. He is lauded by many and he is considered to be one of the most controversial directors of our time, but every film of his that I have seen has proved to be less controversial and more boring and absurd. He just seems to miss the point. I know that some do not agree, but I also know that I am not the only one to feel this way.
A friend of mine the other day stated that Stone was an `enemy of fun'.
That said; I absolutely adore `JFK'; I mean, utterly and unconditionally flaunt this film as one of the greatest political thrillers of all time. From the first few seconds of footage I was completely engulfed in this film, and Stone's dedicated delivery never let up. I was blown away because I really expected to pass over this as merely decent at best, but I honestly am taken aback by just how brilliant this film really is. From the acting to the script to Stone's masterful art of filmmaking, `JFK' is an unforgettable masterpiece if I do say so myself.
It's safe to say that I really had no idea what this movie was about before I sat down to watch it. I actually thought that Kevin Costner was playing Kennedy himself, that's how `in the dark' I was about the true nature of this film. Instead, Costner plays district attorney Jim Garrison, a man on a mission. After the horrendous murder of John F. Kennedy, Garrison makes it his personal agenda to bring the man (or men) responsible down. When Lee Harvey Oswald is arrested and then murdered Garrison smells foul play and so he, along with his team, pursues the truth at all costs. As Garrison sinks deeper into the seedy underbelly of deceit and betrayal he uncovers a truth that sadly only he can see, and this truth (what is truth really?) causes more problems than good for Garrison and his family.
First and foremost I really need to praise the script, up and down, inside and out because it is pristine on all fronts. Not only is the film informative but it is engaging. It doesn't just throw random facts at you and expect you to follow along. Instead, it lines each commanding sequence of events with facts that melt down off the screen and caress our minds. We never feel like we're being preached to, and we never feel like we're being manipulated. We are merely being told a story, and story that twists itself and morphs into something so much bigger than we ever could have expected. The opening sequences that map out Kennedy's term and his horrific murder are brilliantly constructed, for they immediately engulf you into this tragic tale. The reshot footage of the murder is spellbinding and gut wrenching and totally effective in getting the audience immersed in the film from the very beginning.
Then there is the acting, all of which is superb. I normally find Costner rather dull (except his wildly brilliant turn in `The Upside of Anger') and here he does skirt around to prospect of boring me (he just has a very monotone delivery) but he really pulls it all together when he needs to (his final courtroom monologue is brilliantly delivered).
The rest of the extensive cast though never misses a beat. Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman take highest praises from me. Jones (who was Oscar nominated) is sublimely sleazy as Clay Shaw. There is a scene where he is being interrogated by Garrison and as he denies all the allegations he carries this smirk of satisfaction across his face that sent chills down my spine. Kevin Bacon (who I am never fond of) is masterful here and Oldman is just plain chilling as Lee Harvey Oswald. Singling anyone out is very hard though. Joe Pesci is on the top of his game, as is Michael Rooker, and Sissy Spacek is heartbreaking as Garrison's conflicted wife. Jack Lemmon, John Candy and Walter Matthau make the most of their limited screen time, and Donald Sutherland is flawlessly captivating in his cameo as the informant X.
The star of this film is none other than Oliver Stone though. His direction, his complete grasp of subject, is astonishing. Honestly, this was one of the most pleasant surprises in recent memory for me. I really thought that nothing Stone did would ever move me, let alone be one of my favorite films of any given year, but `JFK' is just too perfect not to completely fall for.
There has been a lot said about the truthfulness of the film, many attacking it for manipulating facts and expressing opinion, but honestly, isn't that what film is all about. Stone is able here to give us his own interpretation of truth without ever forcing us to accept what we don't want to. Nothing is presented in a way that conditions us. Instead he delivers a solid thriller than exposes what `could' have taken place without ever telling us what `did' happen.
Quite honestly, this film is a total triumph.
Movie Review: Sixth Floor Window
Summary: 3 Stars
I've rated Stone's 'JFK' 3 stars not because of quality or accuracy but because this movie had a major impact on me. In my first watching of this film, I detected at least one major, and I think deliberate, factual error. One of the characters is handing a Carcano rifle as another character says words to the effect, "The three shots took 7.8 seconds to fire. Let's time it." He then picks up a stopwatch and clicks, "Go." The other character, works the action [once], he works the action again [twice], he works the action a third time [three]. "9.2 seconds," the one man emotes. "Impossible."
Well, from reading over reports of the shooting I knew that this scenario was an untruth. The timing was from the moment of the sound of the first shot--a couple of seconds after the first levering.
Fascinated by such an obvious error and, considering the fact that I am a pathologist and a shooter, I decided to redo the entire shooting scenario--personally--using the same type Carcano-Mannlicher rifle and the same type ammunition that the FBI claimed Oswald used. I performed accuracy, rate of fire, bullet penetration, bullet deformation, head deflection and other studies. By the time I was finished, I probably did as much ballistic work with the Kennedy shooting as anyone in the world, not excluding the FBI and CIA.
[...]
Ron Braithwaite, MD, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
Movie Review: "It's Up To You"
Summary: 4 Stars
I haven't viewed this movie since it came out, but after tonight's viewing, it still holds up as an engrossing and entertaining experience. Some of it maybe fiction and some not, but as for Oswald being the lone assassin, I just don't believe it. When you hear Mr.X describe his theory, it comes eerily close to what out current President has done with Iraq.
I gave this edition only 4 stars because they really didn't need to fluff this one up by 17 minutes, a reason why it was left on the cutting room floor for theatrical release is quite apparent.
But do watch and decide for yourself...it is up to you and every American to decide and debate amongst yourselves.
Movie Review: OLIVER STONE INVENTING HISTORY ONCE AGAIN
Summary: 1 Stars
So we are lead to believe that the JFK conspiracy was the most complex and perfect assignation that ever took place.
Nothing was over looked every I was dotted . Then how do conspiracy Freaks explain the Zap Film.
The Zapruder Film is the proof that there was no conspiracy
It was the perfect conspiracy nothing was over looked except the Guy with the Movie Camera filming the whole thing.
Why are the only Two conspiracies the United states Government can keep secret are The JFK assignation and the Roswell Saucer crash.
Answer: Because both of the above never happened
A perfect film for dumb dumbs. Will appeal to the same people who believe that the Twin Towers were a controlled demolition.and that Martians live among us.
I have no problem if you like this film because you find it an entertaining , but those who look to this film for accurate history and believe this nonsense they are Morons that should be fixed so there offspring will not pollute the Gene pool.
I implore you young people, Please pick up History books and read them.Please read the real facts about the individuals in this movie.Please ,please ,please read books and stop getting your information from Hollywood Movie directors.
Movie Review: In terms of pure filmmaking, this film is a masterpiece....
Summary: 5 Stars
If you jettison the politics of this movie (and Stone's reputation as a muckracker), and simply look at JFK as a film, it's arguably Oliver Stone's best film and it is absolutely rivetting. It's a masterpiece of cinemtography, editing, writing, and performances. I've only seen the initial 189 minute theatrical version, and that film is my favorite Oliver Stone film. Stone's scope of this project is incredible. He not only makes an epic about the JFK assassination, but he makes it so fascinating and enthralling that you marvel as his talents as a filmmaker. The cinematography here is astounding. Robert Richardson shoots in 35mm, 8mm, and 16mm, color, black and white, tinted color, tinted black and white, and it all blends seamlessly. The editing on this monster is also a marvel (it deservedly won an Oscar for editing). The film has a ton of cuts (something in films I don't like), but Stone and his editors do wonders with it. The performances deserve special mention as well. Costner is very effective as Jim Garrison, the New Orleans prosecutor who believed in the conspiracy of JFK's assassination. Costner does a New Orleans accent very well, much better than his rather pathetic "English" one for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. There are numerous cameos in the film, but they don't feel like cameos. Stone manages to make each actor/character unique and interesting. It never feels like star spotting. Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Kevin Bacon, Donald Sutherland, Joe Pesci, and Ed Asner (as a right wing demogagoue, which is funny considering Asner is a very left wing liberal) are standouts in a magnificent cast.
When you watch this film, think of it as "Stone's interpretation of the JFK assassination". There are numerous discrepancies here (such as Garrison meeting with Mr. X, played by Sutherland. That never happened), but if you look at this film strictly as a film, it's remarkable and worthy of the accolades it has received over the years. It's one of Oliver Stone's most memorable films, and a reminder of what a great director he can be when he's on.
Summary of JFK
A film that chronicles New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison's investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It explores all the credible assassination theories that have raised the nation's persistent questions, doubts and suspicions.Director Oliver Stone added 17 minutes of previously unseen footage for the "director's cut" edition of his hypnotic courtroom epic about the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963. That fateful day in Dallas set in motion a sequence of events that would only intensify the mystery behind Kennedy's death, causing New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) to begin an investigation that would gradually become a personal obsession. Bravura filmmaking combined with controversial treatment of historical facts and audacious speculation, this breathtaking revision of history presents a mesmerizing parade of shady figures and conspiracy theories, unfolding like a classic mystery based on history's greatest unsolved crime. A technical triumph boasting Oscar-winning cinematography and editing, Stone's film is guaranteed to grab the viewer's attention with its daring take on the JFK controversy. The stellar supporting cast includes Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Jack Lemmon, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald. --Jeff Shannon
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