JFK (1992)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Alexander D

  
  The reviews for this film are very good, but I still believe it's a little underrated. The factuality of it is not complete, but believe it or not, this film is still being used to solve the conspiracy.

• Jeff "

  
  I'm not really big into conspiracy theories and all. In fact, I mostly think that conspiracy theorists are nut cases, and quite often lunatics. In regard to Oliver Stone's JFK, the film deals with the conspiracy that there was a second gun man who assisted Lee Harvey Oswald… More
  I'm not really big into conspiracy theories and all. In fact, I mostly think that conspiracy theorists are nut cases, and quite often lunatics. In regard to Oliver Stone's JFK, the film deals with the conspiracy that there was a second gun man who assisted Lee Harvey Oswald in assassinating John F. Kennedy. JFK is a good conspiracy thriller that I didn't expect to enjoy. However I was pleasantly surprised. Oliver Stone directs an impressive and talented cast of actors here. Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones really shine. I won't go into detail about the films plot as everyone pretty knows the story of this film. I thought that the plot was engaging enough to keep you interested from start to finish. Oliver Stone manages to grab your attention right from the start. The cast that star in this film make this film work well enough, and JFK is a pretty good conspiracy thriller. Though I wasn't particularly blown away by the film, I thought it was pretty good for what it was. JFK is a good film with plenty of twists to keep you guessing till the very end. Oliver Stone manages to keep you interested as the film demands the viewer to answer the questions that the film asks. Though I'm not really big into Oliver Stone films, JFK did entertain me, and if you enjoy conspiracy thrillers, you're most likely going to enjoy this one. The cast is terrific, and there are some great performances here and the film is complimented by a good story. I personally think that there wasn't a conspiracy in the JFK assassination, but to those who are interested in the topic; this film will definitely appeal to you.

• Ken S

  
  A great story, fantastic editing and awesome cinematography make JFK's 3 and half hour run-time fly by.

• Melvin W

  
  Jim Garrison: It's gonna be OK, Dave. You just talk to us on the record, we'll protect you. I guarantee it. David Ferrie: They'll get to you too. They'll destroy you. They're untouchable, man. JFK is an amazing look at a possible conspiracy to kill the… More
  Jim Garrison: It's gonna be OK, Dave. You just talk to us on the record, we'll protect you. I guarantee it. David Ferrie: They'll get to you too. They'll destroy you. They're untouchable, man. JFK is an amazing look at a possible conspiracy to kill the president. It is painstakingly well made. Anybody who complains about the running time did not watch the movie close enough. There is so much material in this film, I'm suprised it didn't run 4 and a half hours. Just like Jim Garrison, the film never slows down. The film does open up a lot of ideas about what really happened, but the great thing about this movie is that it can be enjoyed no matter if you believe parts of what they are saying or not. The cast is absolutely amazing in this movie. It's scene after scene of recognizable faces and big names. Costner, Jones, Oldman, Spacek, Pesci, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Grubbs, Jay O Sanders, Vincent D'Onorfio, John Candy, and Donald Sutherland, and the list goes on, but thats who I remember. It's an amazingly well shot film and it it won the Best Cinematography Oscar. Kevin Costner is electric in his role and his last speech during the trial of Clay Shaw is powerful and really well executed. The film shows us glaring faults in the investigation of JFK and then basically tells us to go find the truth. The film is dedicated to the young who seek the truth. This is Oliver Stones best film by far and the guy has made some really good movies; Platoon, Wall Street, Salvador, and the always overlooked Talk Radio. The subject definitely deserves thought and this film gives us a point to start at.

• xGary X

  
  District Attorney Jim Garrison looks into the shooting of president Kennedy and finds so many discrepancies and loose ends he brings a criminal case to expose those who he believes were truly responsible. The quality of Oliver Stone's various projects has varied wildly during his… More
  District Attorney Jim Garrison looks into the shooting of president Kennedy and finds so many discrepancies and loose ends he brings a criminal case to expose those who he believes were truly responsible. The quality of Oliver Stone's various projects has varied wildly during his career, but this conspiracy thriller based on that infamous event in US history counts as one of his best. Some of the "facts" are no doubt dubious at best, but what he does create is an intense and believable drama with the aid of a superb, generation spanning all-star cast. The investigation, although very wordy and convoluted, is a lot more involving than the likes of All the President's Men and the powerful courtroom recreation of the events of that day is absolutely fascinating. At a monumental 3 hours long it is something of an undertaking, but despite the usual inclusion of mawkish family drama, it holds the attention throughout. The biggest irony is that people actually used to believe in such elaborate conspiracy theories; my question is, why would they bother? In recent times with phantom WMDs, Guantanomo and hanging chads, governments have perpetrated appalling frauds and crimes against their people in plain sight, but the sad fact is that as long as they have their shopping malls, happy meals and Celebrity Dancing On Ice, nobody actually gives a shit.

• Aditya G

  
  Oliver Stone's JFK opens with actual newsreel footage of the farewell speech of outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is soon followed by Martin Sheen's narration and more footage, this time of President John F. Kennedy's tenure as President. Also, some specific… More
  Oliver Stone's JFK opens with actual newsreel footage of the farewell speech of outgoing President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is soon followed by Martin Sheen's narration and more footage, this time of President John F. Kennedy's tenure as President. Also, some specific events are summarized which may have led to his eventual assassination. Soon after this, we are presented with the reconstruction of the events, starting with that fateful moment on November 22, 1963 when JFK was assassinated in broad daylight at the Dealey Plaza. Kevin Costner plays the then New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison. He, along with his staff begin an initial investigation, suspecting conspiracy. However, soon after, the suspected lone assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) is killed before he can go to trial and Garrison decides to put a stop to the investigations. Three years later, after Garrison is done with reading the entire Warren report detailing the assassination and adhering to the lone assassin theory, he begins to find several inconsistencies and inaccuracies in it. He then proceeds to reopen his investigation and rounds up several suspects, and even charges businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones) with conspiracy and murder. The film then proceeds to give the viewer a gripping look at Garrison's desperate attempts to prove conspiracy, interrogating numerous suspects and witnesses and to bring to justice all those involved directly or indirectly, including some top government officials as well! As he rightly sums it up in one of his statements later in the movie: "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall". Needless to say, such a challenging task also invites a lot of flack from almost all sectors. Garrison also gets very little time to spend with his wife and kids. Domestic ups and downs follow, and Garrison's increasing obsession with Kennedy's assassination starts to take a toll on his personal as well as professional life. At one point, things get ugly when he starts receiving anonymous phone calls at his residence, and one particularly made to his little daughter. His wife gets increasingly frustrated at how her husband seems to be giving Kennedy more importance than his own family. Garrison is well aware of the implications and knows that he may very well be ostracized for his acts. He even gives his staff the choice to pull out if they wish to , as he knows that the investigations could directly affect their careers. Director Oliver Stone does a masterful job of presenting us with his and Garrison's take on the conspiracy theory surrounding one of the most devastating events in American history. He makes extensive use of actual footage and file photos from the case and intersperses them with the reconstruction that is the film, which itself is beautifully shot, partly in black and white, partly in colour and even in some grainy finish at times. The movie is long, but Stone does not give us any time to let up and relax, as he has so much material to show; even a little above three hours seems to be so short a time to convey all this! Blink, and you shall miss some important parts of the investigation by Garrison and team. These investigations then converge at one of the most powerful climaxes in film, in the final Clay Shaw trial of 1969. It is in this trial that Garrison presents to the court and the public what he feels about the whole case. It is here that we are shown the infamous Zapruder film in all its gory detail and we are also presented with Garrison's interesting take on the "magic bullet" theory. On the film-making front, JFK gets an absolute A+, there is no question about it. Stone's direction is flawless, the screenplay is spellbinding, John Williams' original music is mesmerizing and there are some superb performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon. Kevin Costner carries the film well on his shoulders, especially in the riveting final trial scene, where they say he actually got overcome by emotion during his long speech. Sissy Spacek as Mrs. Garrison does well, balancing between an obsessed husband and a house full of kids. Donald Sutherland makes a brief but important appearance in one of the pivotal scenes; so does Jack Lemmon. Where Stone disappoints, however, is in taking some liberties in twisting some facts and even creating some fictional characters who provide some of the strongest testimony in the case! This refers in particular to the character of Willie O'Keefe played by Kevin Bacon who is apparently a composite character created for the film. Such cinematic liberties are usually taken by filmmakers, but what Stone probably did not understand is that this is not just any ordinary story he is telling the world. It is one of the most shattering incidents that shocked America beyond all comprehension. It is unfair on Stone's part to cheat the audience like this, just to add more spice to the already disturbing material. People want to know the truth and not a fabrication of the truth. Not everyone actually goes and opens history books or reads the countless study material surrounding this important chapter of American history. So those who don't bother to do that, will rely on knowledge provided by this film, and that is where Stone would be doing great disservice to the people by presenting them with falsified material. That aside, JFK is certainly an enthralling movie experience and undoubtedly one of the most important films ever made and shouldn't be missed by any true connoisseur of good cinema.

• Dan S

  
  Fearless, extremely dedicated look on the assassination of John Kennedy and whether it was a government conspiracy. Even if you think the plot is preposterous when you first hear of it, you can't helped but get sucked in the way this movie is done. Costner's awesome… More
  Fearless, extremely dedicated look on the assassination of John Kennedy and whether it was a government conspiracy. Even if you think the plot is preposterous when you first hear of it, you can't helped but get sucked in the way this movie is done. Costner's awesome performance as a man searching for the truth is one that is extremely arresting, not to mention the various cases and counterarguments the movie makes that (whether fact or not) prove to be extremely riveting. The flashback style of color to black-and-white is a touch of genius as far as director Stone is concerned, as this is a near flawless piece with a lot of good actors playing very convincing roles (why did Jay O. Sanders' career never take off?) One of the best crime dramas I can remember in a while, joining the ranks of movies like "The Departed" and "The Dark Knight".

• Conner R

  
  In terms of effective storytelling, this is Oliver Stone’s greatest achievement. The amount of research, time and energy that went into this movie really shines through. It’s not just an erroneous conspiracy theory, but a highly justified examination of our government and… More
  In terms of effective storytelling, this is Oliver Stone’s greatest achievement. The amount of research, time and energy that went into this movie really shines through. It’s not just an erroneous conspiracy theory, but a highly justified examination of our government and misinformation regarding political issues. On a technical note, JFK is also one of Oliver Stone’s best shot films. In many ways it is a beautiful piece to look at, regardless of content. The attention to detail concerning film stock, found footage mixed with the movie is extremely impressive. I love how they would use B&W cameras, 8mm & 16mm just to show you different parts of the history surrounding the case. It also has an unbelievable cast led by a wonderful Kevin Costner. It’s completely mesmerizing on so many levels. Even if you’re a non-believer, you can still appreciate it for being a great work of art.

• Tim S

  
  Oliver Stone makes you question things. He's pretty good at that. This is a terrific film and worth several viewings.

• Lady D

  
  My first viewing of this film and from others I am led to believe that even the details of the film are incorrect and almost a conspiracy in itself?? As possibly one of the biggest conspiracy theories in history, the film is big in terms of it?s star cast, it?s investigation, the… More
  My first viewing of this film and from others I am led to believe that even the details of the film are incorrect and almost a conspiracy in itself?? As possibly one of the biggest conspiracy theories in history, the film is big in terms of it?s star cast, it?s investigation, the content and script with some dialogue running for a fair while without breaking scenes, (in particular the scene with Donald Sutherland). Good performances all around and made for intriguing viewing.

• Anthony L

  
  The only real problem with making a film about JFK's assassination and the conspiracies involved is that there isn't a conclusion. Everything learnt in this film has at some point since its release been denied as fiction, or has no evidence. So as interesting as it was, and… More
  The only real problem with making a film about JFK's assassination and the conspiracies involved is that there isn't a conclusion. Everything learnt in this film has at some point since its release been denied as fiction, or has no evidence. So as interesting as it was, and as brilliant the all star cast were, I just couldn't enjoy this film as much as I?d hoped.

• E.J. B

  
  Nobody makes films like Oliver Stone. JFK challenges you, disturbs you, and dares you to question everything the political body does. This is the best film of the 90s.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"The Story That Won't Go Away"</i> A New Orleans DA discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story. <center><font size=+2… More
  <i>"The Story That Won't Go Away"</i> A New Orleans DA discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story. <center><font size=+2 face="Verdana"><u><b>REVIEW</b></u></font></center> The assassination of JFK has been told in every possible way through every available medium. Oliver Stone managed the unimaginable transforming and almost folk tragedy, through a mix of drama and cinema veritè, into a riveting mystery thriller with the paranoiac style of a man who's in touch with paranoia in a quasi permanent basis. Unnerving, frustrating and spectacularly satisfying. Kevin Costner manages to be convincing as the center piece of the conspiracy theory. We believe the whole damn thing because we see it through his logic. Sissy Spacek, as his wife, represents most us and she does it brilliantly. Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Bacon are a pleasure to watch. Donald Sutherland, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and even John Candy, Sally Kirkland and Vincent D'Onofrio deliver little parts of the puzzle without ever becoming distracting. Gary Oldman is a chilling dead ringer for Lee Harvey Oswald. For film lovers, for history nuts, for pop culture fanatics and for conspiracy theorists, this is a must.

• Alice S

  
  Thrilling docudrama about a very sketchy assassination. While some points are overdramaticized, I'm now really curious about the physics of the whole thing. It just doesn't make sense that there was one gunman, let alone Oswald from the book depository. I also enjoyed the… More
  Thrilling docudrama about a very sketchy assassination. While some points are overdramaticized, I'm now really curious about the physics of the whole thing. It just doesn't make sense that there was one gunman, let alone Oswald from the book depository. I also enjoyed the unapologetic call to question one's government with critical doubt and earnest curiousity. That's what it's there for.

• familiar s

  
  One of the bestest thriller and among my toppest favorites. Oliver Stone must have fabricated the facts, but it maybe for making the movie more interesting. A MUST WATCH, if you haven't already.

• Tim S

  
  This is one of the first movies I saw as a kid that said something rather than just entertained.

• Emile T

  
  I bought the director's cut about a month ago and since then, I was afraid to dive into it for 205 minutes - the longest movie I've seen to date. When I started it, I just could not believe that, actually, this movie was that long. It was so greatly made, so entertaining… More
  I bought the director's cut about a month ago and since then, I was afraid to dive into it for 205 minutes - the longest movie I've seen to date. When I started it, I just could not believe that, actually, this movie was that long. It was so greatly made, so entertaining that I didn't see the time pass at all ! Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman's performances were great, but what impressed me the most is Oliver Stone's directing who, for me, would have deserved every awards on earth ! WHAT A GREAT PIECE OF WORK ! The story Stone's JFK tells shocked me like no movie shocked me in a long time. Seems stupid, but it changed my point of view of how far United States government could go to get what it wants. JFK is one of the most POWERFUL movies I've seen in my life. One that I'll remember for the rest of my days.

• Christopher M

  
  I've often heard people give Oliver Stone shit and it constantly puzzles me. I'm definitely not big on all his work, but he has made at least a couple great films: Natural Born Killers and this one, JFK, which I finally watched, This is the quintessential film about the… More
  I've often heard people give Oliver Stone shit and it constantly puzzles me. I'm definitely not big on all his work, but he has made at least a couple great films: Natural Born Killers and this one, JFK, which I finally watched, This is the quintessential film about the Kennedy assassination, detailing a case brought by the District Attorney of New Orleans, Jim Garrison, beginning three years after the actual assassination. I don't think conspiracy films get much better than this. First of all, the cast is exceptional. Kevin Costner reminds me why I love him so much (and also hate when people shit on him) and puts in what is probably his career performance as Jim Garrison; we're right with him as he delves deeper and deeper into the conspiracy and he's just excellent. The rest of this huge cast also shines; notably Joe Pesci, Gary Oldman, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, John Candy, et al. I also love how the film is made. Much like in Natural Born Killers, Oliver Stone magically blends a variety of different mediums, from stock footage to photographs to the actual filmed scenes to scenes recreating real footage to surveillance videos - this is a technique that probably turns a lot of people off of Stone's films but I really like it and it's used amazingly here. The plot is woven beautifully, and despite the verbose amount of facts, evidence, and speculations presented in the film it never really gets muddled (though I'm sure it would if you weren't paying close attention). The whole trial scene is awesome, and Costner pulls out one of the all-time great closing argument speeches in film. This is a must-see if you have any interest at all in the Kennedy assassination and the conspiracies surrounding it.

• Candy R

  
  Good cast but too much detail and slow pace to keep the audience's attention.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Oliver Stone's best film, intricated and fascinating. excellent cast. one of the greatest montages ever made.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings