A Masterpiece that Ages Like Wine

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2011)

This is it. JFK. Oliver's Stone masterpiece. Possibly the best work from a filmmaker who already has a track record of greatness. This needs to be mandatory viewing in every high school and extremely mandatory for anyone seeking a career in filmmaking of any department.
From the opening montages presenting the back story in a rapid fire manner, JFK doesn't waste a second. And yet, somehow manages to take it's time to play out in an easily understandable, yet highly intelligible fashion. The pacing is benchmark quality for cinema, maybe the best pacing in a movie since Raging Bull.
The performances are all finely tuned. It's very hard to believe that only Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category for the film. Kevin Costner turns in what is most likely his best screen performance as a man obsessed with the past, so much so that it is tearing his family apart. Joe Pesci SHOULD have been nominated for best supporting actor with Jones, he's just that electric in the short screen time he has. The late great John Candy turns up for a brief cameo that could of been played off as laughable, but he comes across in a serious way. Movie icons Walter Mathieu and Jack Lemmon were great additions that only help to make the film reach immortal status. And not forgetting Donald Sutherland, 'X,' who provides Jim Garrison (Costner)with a pivotal back story told masterfully. Kevin Bacon shows up to as a male prostitute, a man who has been deep inside the mysterious world due to his nature. The only major female role is Garrison's wife, played by Sissy Spacek, as a woman on the brink of losing due to her husband's constant absence.
I don't know any other way of convincing you to see this gem. The black and white photography stands next to Schindler's List and Raging Bull. The script is top of the line quality, as is the cinematography. You may disagree with the history, but if you go in with an open mind, at least you'll have food for thought.