Classic Film: "JFK" (1991)

Who was responsible for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy? Was it the work of a lone gunman or a broader conspiracy? Oliver Stone's JFK might make even the most ardent proponent of Lee Harvey Oswald's guilt think twice.

Conspiracy stories have always fascinated me. Especially those rooted in reality. The fact that someone believes that our federal government is responsible for the murdering of a president is a testament to how cynical we've become about our leaders. From JFK to MLF and RFK to 9/11, conspirators believe that government pulled the levers, and government covered it up. Stone's picture, stops a wee bit short of convicting the highest levels of power, but it hints (and not subtly).

So the conspiracy goes: JFK was murdered by top military brass and intelligence after his critical mistake during the Bay of Pigs further eroded his relationship with these communities. He intended to pull all U.S. forces out of Vietnam, which alienated the same folks, who plotted (on several levels ) his murder. The intention was to blame it on Fidel Castro and begin an invasion of Cuba. It goes on to claim that there was a cover-up perpetrated by the top brass in government in the guise of the Warren Commission, which cooked up the "lone gunman" theory in order to have a fall-guy (Lee Harvey Oswald). Oswald had some knowledge of the plot, but was set-up, and killed by a mafia hit man (Jack Ruby) so he wouldn't open his mouth. Conspirators believe that it was all plotted, planned, and executed. Now whether we believe in this sort of mass efficiency is another story altogether. 

Jim Garrison (District Attorney of New Orleans) seemed to be the only man to not only read the entirety of the Warren Commission's report, but also suspect that it was shabby work. He set out to find the killers and stumbled upon a massive amount of unreported facts, and seemingly ignored realities (for example, Oswald renouncing his U.S. citizenship to become a citizen of Russia then returning to the U.S. without fuss from the state department). The movie depicts his eventual attempt to try a fellow named Clay Shaw, who he accused of conspiracy to murder the president (Shaw secretly worked for the CIA, which was apart of the 'murderous' ring). The best line of the movie was: "There's a lot of smoke there, but theres some fire."

Outside of the mysterious (and downright bone-chilling) subject of conspiracy, the movie boasts some of the best performances of the 90s.  The best of the cast being Joe Pesci, who plays a guy named David Ferrie (a real nut job). His performance is haunting and erratic, he makes the viewer pity what should be an entirely unlikable character. Tommy Lee Jones was Oscar-nominated for his role as Clay Shaw, an effete southern businessman, who guises his homosexuality through charity and community activism. Kevin Costner gives his finest performance as Jim Garrison. He is ably consumed by the material, and gives Garrison a passionate vigor throughout the film. Donald Sutherland as Mister X narrates the most fascinating segment of the film.

Clocking in at 189 minutes, JFK never has a dull moment. The film is engaging from state to finish, which is not an easy task for a 3 hour film (which is why it won the Oscar for Best Film Editing). The cast reads like a who's who, with Costner, Pesci, Jones, Kevin Bacon, Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Donald Sutherland, Gary Oldman, Ed Asner, and John Candy among the cast. There's like eight Oscars between these folks, and countless nominations. 

Below are two great clips from the film: