One true fact: this is a great movie

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2015)

How much of what Oliver Stone presents in JFK is actually true? Certainly not all of it. Certainly not none of it. There's definitely some truth in there but Stone obviously takes some liberties as well. It's quite a challenge to make a film that purports to be a true story when nobody actually knows the true story. You end up interpreting history rather than documenting it. Stone obviously believes there was a conspiracy in the JFK assassination so of course that is the story his film will tell. The conspiracy is presented as fact. And Stone certainly makes a compelling case. He hasn't solved the JFK case. But after watching his film you may well think he came much closer to doing so than our government ever has. Stone made a great film. And perhaps more importantly he made a convincing film. You're buying what he's selling.
Stone uses New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison to make his case. Garrison was in fact the only man to ever bring anyone to trial in connection with the JFK assassination. It is Garrison's dogged investigation which drives Stone's film. There are so many obstacles in Garrison's way but he is determined to get to the truth. But in this case truth is almost impossible to find. Tales of shadowy conspiracy emerge but no matter how much Garrison digs it becomes evident he's never going to get to the bottom of this. He makes the best possible case he can given the circumstances. But the real truth, the scary truth, always remains elusive. Kevin Costner turns in an excellent performance as Garrison. He makes you believe in Garrison, makes you believe that this man is doing the right thing. Costner is the strong center around which the film builds. Everything swirls around him. And in this film there is always something, often many things, swirling. There's an awful lot going on. Stone's film careens past three hours and you get the sense it probably could have gone on for three hours more.
The film does go on for quite a long time and it throws so much information at you. There is a lot for the audience to process here. But the film never really gets bogged down. It is entertaining, compelling and thought-provoking throughout. Costner is the standout performer but the rest of the cast is stellar as well. Gary Oldman makes for an eerily convincing Lee Harvey Oswald. Tommy Lee Jones and Joe Pesci bring unique personalities to the roles of two possible conspirators. Jones is calm and suave as Clay Shaw, Pesci nervous and manic as David Ferrie. Donald Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek and a host of others play their parts well. Familiar faces pop up in even bit parts, the likes of Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and John Candy helping to move the story along. No part, no performance, is wasted. Stone weaves his web expertly. It is a very tangled story, there is the sense that in the end maybe all the strands of the story didn't quite come together. But how could they? This film is a "true story" in which nobody actually knows the truth. Ultimately Garrison, through a powerful performance from Costner, lays out his version of the truth. Through this character Stone tries to convince us. How much of what Stone presents you choose to accept as truth is up to you. You can question Stone's version of history. But there is no question that in JFK he made an excellent film. It may not be a perfect history. But it's a near-perfect film.