I can distinctly remember the first time I popped in the DVD copy of “JFK“ back in 2002. I remember reading a plethora of mixed reviews online, and when I turned to my friends to see what they thought of it, none of them had ever seen it. At the time, I was going through an Oliver Stone phase, and as I recall, I was apprehensive about “JFK” because it was said to take place predominantly after the assassination. Judging it superficially, from the looks of the DVD/VHS cover, I had always assumed that Kevin Costner played JFK, and so you can imagine my confusion when I came to find out that Costner played Louisiana’s District Attorney, Jim Garrison — a man, who seemed to me, so far removed from the events that took place in Dallas, that it must be one of those films that is only loosely based on true events, or maybe it just wasn’t any good.
These were the conclusions that I came to before watching the film.
After the film, however, was a different story entirely.
I felt that my eyes had been opened for the first time. I could hardly contain myself. At any opportunity I had, I would try and convince people to watch the film, and I would do my best to relay the fact that JFK was not killed by a lone gunman, nor was Lee Harvey Oswald a shooter. I was certain of this. The film had told me so. It was based on a true story after all, right?
Well, yes and no. Oliver Stone took a number of creative liberties in bringing Jim Garrison’s story to the silver screen, but he also presents a wealth of facts as well. Unfortunately, for many people, they are far too quick to dismiss the film because of the dense narrative, and the ever-present question of what is truly factual amidst the fiction.
For me, it wasn’t until the following year, in November 2003 — the fortieth anniversary of JFK’s assassination — that my interest was renewed in the JFK conspiracy, thanks to the re-airing of the History Channel’s Special, “The Men Who Killed Kennedy” by Nigel Turner. The compelling series delves deeply into the dense conspiracy materials/stories and eye-witness accounts of the events that transpired, before, during and long after the assassination took place. The program was able to corroborate many of the things detailed in the texts of which Stone’s film was based, and it was also able to introduce far more incriminating evidence that leaves little doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunmen, or that he was even involved in the assassination at all.
Now, while much of that might seem tangential or arbitrary given the fact that we’re reviewing “JFK: The Director’s Cut“, and not any of the aforementioned sources, I feel that it’s important to understand that this film isn’t — at least in my opinion — based primarily on fiction, despite what others might tell you.
For those of you sitting there wondering why I’m not going into a lot of depth with regard to the film material, I’ve opted not to, in favor of preserving the twists and turns in the film’s narrative/true events for first time readers/viewers. Personally, I feel that’s necessary, after all, the does a far greater job stringing the events together anyway.
There’s simply no doubt about it, “JFK” is a controversial film. It has polarized audiences since its release in 1991, but it continues to enthrall audiences the world over, and I think it remains as one of the most important American films ever made, if not one of the most important of all time. Many people would argue against that, and that’s fine, it’s simply my opinion.
Say what you will about the factual basis, and feel free to debate about what is presented in the film, because that’s the intended effect, and it is precisely what the film is trying to get you to do. Question the facts. Seek your own truth.
Obviously, not everyone will be a believer — let alone a fan of the film — nor will everyone care to see the assassination for what it might have been. And truthfully, I can’t really blame them. It’s scary to think that our President, can be killed at any moment, by anyone, perhaps even by the very people he’s chosen to empower. And lastly, to borrow from Michael Corleone and The Godfather, “If anything in life is certain, if history has taught anything, it’s that anyone can be killed.”
If nothing else, “JFK” is proof of that.
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