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Bookmark this pageJFK (1991)
Director: Oliver Stone
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Stone goes for the gut, but the complexity of theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination might have benefited from a cooler assessment. Understandably, he is hostile to the lone assassin findings; here, Oswald (Oldman) is merely the 'patsy' of a nebulous conspiracy cover-up involving just about everyone; sadly, their exact roles in the 'coup d'état' are never properly clarified. The investigation conducted between '66 and '69 by DA Jim Garrison (whitewashed as Costner) allows Stone to proffer a dazzling array of facts, hypotheses and flashbacks, intercutting archive footage, reconstructions, and more conventional dramatic material. While his logic is often murky, the data overload is forceful, if not wholly persuasive. Though the huge cast performs strongly, characterisation is minimal, and the overall structure uninspiring. Often the film seems a garbled rant, but mostly it's more complex and less flashy than Stone's other work; the urgent editing packs a powerful punch, and if the conclusions are vague and ready to see conspiracy everywhere, one can't deny the force of Stone's call for more open debate.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Oliver Stone
Producer: A Kitman Ho, Oliver Stone
Cast: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Rooker, Jay O Sanders, Sally Kirkland, Ed Asner, Jack Lemmon, Vincent D'Onofrio, Brian Doyle-Murray, Joe Pesci, Walter Matthau, Tomas Milian, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Donald Sutherland, Martin Sheen full cast
Duration: 189 mins
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