Main Cast: Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman
Summary: Details the actions of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, who takes it upon himself to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. Garrison is extremely suspicious of the official story presented by the FBI, and what he already knows and what he subsequently learns lead him to suspect that there is more to the story than the public is being told.
Review: I had been anxiously awaiting my first viewing of this film, considered to be Oliver Stone's masterpiece, had to go to three different video stores before I found it. I had previously seen Nixon, which I really enjoyed, and had been told that this was better. My high expectations were relatively met.
The direction, as expected, was flawless. Combined with complicated yet excellent editing, Stone's instinct for shot duration and framing is really remarkable. It didn't feel as though there was really a single frame out of place. I've never been a big fan of Kevin Costner, and I'm almost sure this is the first time Ive ever watched a full film of his, but he seemed to turn in a decent performance. The accents were somewhat bothersome at first, but eventually I got past them.
The flow of the story somewhat suffers from the 3 hour + running time, and the film is punctuated here and there by long speeches, which, although exectued nicely individually, somewhat slow the film as a whole. Also, most of the movie, besides the flashbacks, is just Kevin Costner walking around talking to different people, which can become boring and repetitive at times.
One of the more notable aspects of the film is its incredible ensemble cast. Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Sissy Spacek, Gary Oldman, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon, Ed Asner, Walter Matthau, John Candy, Donald Sutherland, etc, etc. A lot of faces I recognized.
Direction – 20/20 Acting – 19/20 Story – 12/15 Rewatchability – 10/15 Music – 8/10 Depth – 10/10 Cinematography – 5/5 Supporting Cast – 5/5 TOTAL = 89%
89% = 4/5 Stars
Best Quote: "The sixth and fatal shot, frame 313 takes Kennedy in the head from the front. This is the key shot. The President going back and to his left. Shot from the front and right. Totally inconstant with the shot from the Book Depository."
