JFK
by Cheeto
Posted on 15 November 2021
Rating -
JFK is a 1991 American epic political thriller film that examines the events leading to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and alleged cover-up through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy, for which Lee Harvey Oswald was found responsible by the Warren Commission.
I watched this film many moons ago, I remember not really being that invested in it. I could see it was ok, but I just though it was a run of the mill drama; how stupid was I? I don’t know why I had these feelings towards this film, I was around 13, so maybe I didn’t know, or didn’t understand what I was watching. Or maybe I was just a dumb kid, who knows? I rewatched this film a couple of weeks ago, and I can tell you, I hate my younger self, I’ll tell you the reasons why.
First off; I love Oliver Stone, I think he is one of the greatest directors who has ever lived, his style is woven throughout this film, and I am all here for it. I don’t know what it is about him, maybe it’s his direction style, how each scene glides to the next; only a few in film history have been able to replicate the skill he has.
This film has a huge cast of A-list actors, but it doesn’t feel bloated at all. Of course, Kevin Costner (who I’ll get onto in a bit), is the main character, and he does do a good job as our leading man, but as a massive film nerd, it’s great to see all the talent on show.
Kevin Costner is a bit hot and cold with me, he can be great in some films (The Untouchables and Field of Dreams), and can be awful in others (Waterworld and The Postman). I can tell you, he puts in a brilliant and convincing shift as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison. With a huge A-lister like Costner, it’s easy to only see the actor, but in this film, I only see Jim Garrison. I also think that Sissy Spacek shows her Academy Award acting prowess as Jim Garrison’s wife Liz Garrison.
I think the real star of the show is Gary Oldman, this is the thing, I don’t need to even mention that Gary Oldman put in a great performance. Everyone already knows that he’s an all time actor, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint in his role as Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who was the number 1 suspect in the killing of 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Firstly; he looks exactly like him, secondly; he prepared like mad for this role, watching interviews of Oswald. The reason he did this? To look at the way he speaks, not just his accent, but also, how his mouth moves, and how he pronounces certain words. He also studied his mannerisms, and certain things that stick out about the disgraced Marine. This is what separates him from other actors, just his attention to detail.
I love how Stone intertwines Garrison’s story with Oswald’s. It is done in such a way; that it’s easy to follow, even though the two timelines are happening at a different point in time. It’s also fascinating to see how Oswald was in his day to day life.
Even though this film is a drama, it showcases some real tight and tense scenes, the actual assassination scene for example. You know it’s coming, but nothing can prepare you for it, I don’t know how Stone achieves this, it’s just a credit to his talent. Also, it’s terrifying to see certain witnesses, and accomplices to the case, or Oswald himself, be picked off one by one. It keeps us on our toes, and it also puts our main character in jeopardy.
I love the whole court scenes at the end of the film. Over the course of the film, we see Jim Garrison and his team collect convincing evidence as to why Lee Harvey Oswald, either didn’t kill JFK, or that he didn’t act alone. The last 20-25 minutes of the film is just Garrison relaying all of his evidence he’s collected throughout the film, to the jury. It’s tight, tense and taut; and it’s actually like you’re sat right there in the court.
The main thing I take away from this film is the fact that I was, for the majority of my life, convinced that Lee Harvey Oswald actually did assassinate JFK. After watching this film, I no longer think like this. This is because, for the most part, this movie is based on real life accounts. Basically everything you see in this movie, it actually happened. This is how great this film is.
Overall, this is one of my favourite films of all time. Often, I find it hard to sit through 3+ hour movies, not with JFK though. This is an unrivalled masterpiece, and I urge everyone to experience this at least once.
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