JFK is a great masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (30 March 2004)

In 1991, Oliver Stone directed a movie that would center around one of the biggest events in American History, the assignation of President John F. Kennedy. With this film, Stone brought up the question of was there a conspiracy. Through out the film, he lends us ideas about a conspiracy and who may be behind the conspiracy, but he never gives us an answer. Why? Probably because Oliver Stone himself doesn't know the answer. In fact, I feel he is not making this film to tell us who is behind the assignation but instead to show that there was indeed a conspiracy behind the assignation and the American public is not in on any of the facts behind the assignation. JFK is about Jim Garrison, a New Orleans District attorney played by Kevin Costner in one of his most outstanding roles, and his quest to prove the Warren Commission wrong. The film begins with a brief history of John F Kennedy from his election victory up until his assignation on November 22, 1963. From then on, we the viewers watch as Jim Garrison begins to unravel the events of that day and watch him and his team searching for proof that Lee Harvey Oswald was not a lone gunman. The film is over 3 hours long and in its run Oliver Stone introduces us to many characters and fills us with tons of information. And while we are accepting all this information we are able to follow along without missing a step of Garrison's trail. In the final climax of the film we see Garrison take local respected businessman, Clay Shaw played by Tommy Lee Jones, to trial. Shaw had been linked to several of the people behind the `conspiracy' through various witnesses. Shaw denied ever being part of the CIA however, in 1979, 10 years after the trial, the CIA admitted that Shaw was apart of the CIA. Of course, this came 5 years after Shaw's death. From these facts we can believe that Garrison was on the right trail and that the assignation was indeed, a conspiracy. JFK does bring up some valid points and all though some of the history may have been twisted for the film, it all works because it doesn't take away any of the questions the film asks. Was There a Conspiracy? The biggest piece of evidence that questions the Warren Commissions decision that Oswald was the only assassin was the home movie from Abraham Zapruder. This home movie clearly questions the lone gunman theory as we can clearly see that Kennedy was shot in the head from a front angle which would negate that Oswald was the only assassin being that Oswald was behind Kennedy in the schoolbook depository. Back and to the left, back and to the left, back and to the left Garrison repeats in the courtroom painting a picture that shows that if there was more than one gunman than there has to be a conspiracy. The film also states that in 1979, the U.S. Senate select committee found that the Kennedy assignation was probably a conspiracy however as of 1991, there has never been an investigation. Does JFK succeed in proving there may have been a conspiracy? Yes. Does JFK give us all the answers to the assignation? No. JFK does give us the idea that we may never get the real truth behind the assignation, just the truth the government wants us to have.