JFK (1991)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1991
	Director: Oliver Stone (Platoon, Natural Born Killers)
	Actors: Kevin Costner (Whyatt Earp, Dance with the Wolves, Waterworld), Gary Oldman (The 5th Element), Jack Lemmon, Joe Pesci (Casino), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), Tommy Lee Jones (MiB 1-3)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Polar, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 01.03.2017, VOD, 32" TV screen.
Synopsis: Three years after the assassination of JFK, the District Attorney of New Orleans Jim Garrison (Costner) learns more and more elements that make him suspicious of the official version, and he becomes obsessed by finding the truth.
Review: Soon after completing the good TV-series 11.22.63 produced by Stephen King, I couldn't resist watching this classic Thriller by Oliver Stone. I didn't remember it was lasting three and a half hour (from my youth I mostly remembered the trial scenes from the end) but watched it anyway. The movie is an adaptation from two research books on the assassination, and Stone described this account as a "counter-myth" to the Warren Commission's "fictional myth" (the official version), meaning that he did not intend for it to unearth the truth but provide an alternative version at least as probable as the official one, and evidently much more. The movie can be decomposed in some four different atmospheres: first the "real-time" story in 1963, then the secret search for clues by Garrison's team, the search made public with increasing pressure and finally the trial of Clay Shaw, one single man accused of conspiracy but who is the pretense to present Harrison's theory on the whole thing. In terms of conspiracy, the story goes pretty far and the ramifications are deep, as we learn in particular during the 10-minute quasi-monologue by a Mr. X played by Donald Sutherland. The proposed explanation for the assassination (and other power plays) is still incredibly actual and resonates with the speech of Eisenhower at the very beginning of the movie warning us against the military-industrial complex. Everything revolves around the evidence that peace is bad for business, and I have indeed recently heard a theory that to get out of the "financial crisis" it is perpetually in now, the World needs a war. Yeah right. I liked Kevin Costner in the role, and was impressed by how calm he remains through all the hard times. He acts as a lighthouse in the storm even when his family and team are at the worst. He is also supported by many other known actors like Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci and Michael Rooker that were pleasant to see. We also have a glimpse of a young Vincent d'Onofrio (magnificent in the Daredevil TV-series). Note that at the end of the trial Garrison states that his children will have to wait 2039 to see released classified information about the investigation, which is something that has always ignited the passions of conspiracy theoreticians. The end credits tell us that the date is in fact 2028, and I have then learned that the release of JFK mobilized a large crowd to push for an earlier release, and the date is now October 26th 2017, not so far in the future anymore. We already know that those documents will not tell the whole truth on which groups of people did it and why, but the light will be shed on the links between some persons and the CIA activities.
Rating: 7 /10