History for the poorly read and the easily duped

Rating: 5/10 (2 April 2007)

This comment is really TWO comments: One of Oliver Stone's movie itself and a second one on the premise of the film.
First: The film is excellent in telling the story of the various theories surrounding the assassination. Recreated scenes are interwoven with archival film footage so seamlessly that only historical scholars can detect where Dallas ends and Hollywood begins. But for the well read scholar that line is very clear. I enjoy the movie itself. It is a bit long and would bore those without a fairly elaborate background with the details of the assassination and the various plots that have been hatched.
Second: Concerning the historical accuracy of the film. There is none. The only accurate facts are that Kennedy was assassinated, Oswald was shot, and the nation mourned. Everything else is suspect. There is not time here to dissect the film to the degree I would like, besides several websites have already done that much better than I could. The premise of several different gunmen firing up to six or more shots it totally unsubstantiated with ANY credible evidence. The allegations that Kennedy planned to pull out of Vietnam are not accepted by ANY respected historian in the United States. The theory that Oswald and Ruby were involved together is laughable since no evidence exists to support this fanciful theory.
In short, the movie should have been named, "Dallas in Wonderland", but Oliver's twist is fun to rip apart.