Speculative but riveting...superb story-telling...

Rating: Null/10 (26 November 2003)

Conspiracy theories get a workout in Oliver Stone's JFK--he has hit upon every conceivable theory, every point and counterpoint to be made and has produced an absorbing, involving, and ultimately entertaining film that makes you think about which theory you believe is the likeliest. And he has a cast that brings every important character to life, even though the physical resemblances are not always there.
KEVIN COSTNER, for example, is excellent as the doggedly determined D.A. Jim Garrison (but looks nothing like the real Jim Garrison) who will leave no stone unturned in his effort to find the truth behind the killing of JFK--even if it means ignoring his wife and family while he pursues justice. Costner uses his Honest Abe image to give the sort of heartfelt, man-of-integrity intensity that James Stewart and Henry Fonda might have given in their day. He is made to seem like a towering figure of integrity in the script Stone has written from Jim Garrison's point of view--almost like Atticus Finch resurrected, especially in his closing courtroom speech. Was the real Jim Garrison really this noble?
As a note of irony, Stone has the real Jim Garrison playing Earl Warren and defending the Warren Commission Report with a straight face.
Other roles are played with equal validity by Tommy Lee Jones (as Clay Shaw), Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek, Ed Asner (infuriating as Guy Bannister), and Joe Pesci as David Ferrie. Pesci is a bit over the top as David Ferrie (and gets on the nerves) but that's the way the role was written and directed.
But the most remarkable moments in the film are provided by the exchange of information between Kevin Costner and Donald Sutherland as the extent of the conspiracy is revealed to come from higher places in the government. Sutherland gives an imposing performance, quietly restrained but chilling as he delivers his insider information.
Special mention must go to Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald. His face, voice and gestures are strikingly similar and blend well with actual footage of Oswald intermittently seen.
Altogether a very competent piece of filmmaking which fulfills its purpose by making the viewer think about what might actually have happened on that awful day in Dallas when the age of innocence officially ended in American politics. Whether it's the Mafia, Castro's Cubans, the FBI, the CIA or LBJ and the Pentagon (with the help of the Warren Commission), it's all there for you to sort out and ponder--perhaps until 2029 when some new suppressed evidence will eventually be released.