Film of the Week: 12

JFK (1991)

Director Oliver Stone has always delivered on some terrific political films such as Salvador, Talk Radio, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon, and W. Well in 1991, Stone chose to direct a film on the assassination (and the aftermath) of arguably America's most loved President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

On November 22, 1963, at 12:30 pm, Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline were traveling through Dallas, Texas at the Dealey Plaza in a Presidential motorcade. However, waiting for Kennedy, was 24 year old Lee Harvey Oswald.

Being that Oswald was an ex-US Marine, he took his position on the fifth floor of the Texas School Book Depository with a perfect sniper view of Kennedy's '61 Lincoln Continental limousine and fired.

In the cross-fire, the governor of Texas, John Connally and his wife were wounded and of course Kennedy was fatally shot with a bullet through his head. Kennedy died in the hospital shortly after. Then, only 2 days after Kennedy's assassination, his alleged killer Lee Harvey Oswald is killed by Jack Ruby before Oswald can be questioned.

With polls conducted from 1966 to 2004, about 80% of Americans say that they suspected there was a plot or cover-up on the assassination (assuming the other 20% are in-denial, don't care or blind).

Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald

In Oliver Stone's JFK, we have an outstanding cast of endless actors; Kevin Costner, Jack Lemmon, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek, Michael Rooker, Joe Pesci, Walter Matthau, Tommy Lee Jones, John Candy, Kevin Bacon and Donald Sutherland. With Tommy Lee Jones giving the best performance of the film and his entire career as Clay Shaw.

The film doesn't really focus on JFK, but on the assassination and the corruption, lies and conspiracies that Jim Garrison (Costner) was dying to unveil.

Moments prior to the assassination

It is an exceptional film with terrific performances and a well documented script, not to mention the excellent film editing, and the cinematography by Robert Richardson which is just great.

Asides from being arguably the best film of the year (1991), it is also Stone's best film alongside Platoon. It is a masterpiece of paranoia, everyone is scared, scared for their lives, for the future. An endless case of 'who did it?' Was it the Russians? Was it the government? Well, all I know is, you must see this film.

Click here for the trailer and here for the Zapruder Film of JFK's Assassination