An Extremely Important Film

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2000)

The best thing about "JFK" is that, in spite of containing a ton of information, unfolding at a fairly slow pace, and being very long (the director's cut is 206 minutes), it still manages to be amazingly entertaining throughout. I don't know why - it could be because it is such a universal subject for Americans, but it could also be because its such a well-made film. Of course, it's probably a little bit of both.

The cinematography, editing (Academy Award winners in those categories), direction, pacing, writing, acting, music, everything just weaves together so beautifully in this movie. Everything present within "JFK" has meaning, and, thus, its entertaining to watch the entire thing, because you see and hear new things with just about every shot. It all builds up to the last courtroom scene, which is one of the finest bits of movie making I've ever seen. Ultimately, this final scene shows how important the movie is: Oliver Stone is trying to say that Kennedy's assassination (and subsequent cover-up) meant a lot more than the President's death. He also handled these parts so well that it didn't sound preachy or heavy-handed, it just sounds like the genuine truth.
Put simply, this is an exhilarating movie. It's also a film that could make a person think about things they probably didn't spend much time on before. For that reason, "JFK" is highly recommended.