JFK: Does Oliver Stone's Conspiracy Classic Hold Up?

It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma.

So says Joe Pesci’s David Ferrie during a key scene in Oliver Stone’s JFK, a movie that’s being revisited for a few key reasons. One is that Shout Factory just put out a 4K restoration that reissues both the director’s cut and theatrical cuts of these films, but also due to the fact director Oliver Stone, more than thirty years after the film’s release is still utterly beguiled by the assassination. His recent documentary, JFK: Through the Looking Glass, served as a bookend to the film, while another documentary, Citizen Stone, is in production and examines how the film, in some ways, served as his undoing. We take a look back at a movie that remains one of the most controversial ever made.

#JFK #OliverStone #KevinCostner

[YankeesFan]

This movie still holds up. The Donald Sutherland 20 minute exposition scene is still beautifully written

[bobcobb]

It’s funny, considering how play-it-safe studios are now, that for about a 3-year stretch at Warner Brothers, you had big budgets, all-star casts, and full creative freedom given to Oliver Stone to make JFK and Spike Lee to make a 3 and a half hour movie about Malcolm X.

[kennethrussell]

When my wife and i saw it in the theater in 1991. It was so great that those 3 hours went fast.

[konstantinkoverchenko]

John Candy and Donald Sutherland really stood out in this film.

[ajmmoviestv]

When this movie came out the assassination had happened less than 30 years earlier. Now it’s been more than 30 years since the film.

[WH]

This movie is one of my favorites of all time. The court scene is absolutely incredible.

[rickbase]

I need to mention that the scene in JFK where the trajectory of the bullet has Wayne Knight as the dude sitting lampooned in Wayne Knight also. Briliiant.

[gavinmaitland]

I watched the first half of this recently. Way ahead of its time in terms of structure. And the cast he gets just for tiny roles?! Amazing.

[LaurenMiddleton]

Kevin Costner at the end of the movie breaks the 4th wall and says "its up to you"

[Omar-wqdz]

Speaking of Kevin Costner, an under appreciated film he’s in, also set around the Kennedy era, more people should see is Thirteen Days. It’s historically inaccurate, but still a good movie

[basher]

The movie wasn’t made to be completely factual, Stone’s intention was to put all the theories as well as facts out there so that people would ask Questions and never forget what happened on that day in Dallas that changed the course of American history forever.

[josephamato]

Love this movie. Saw it in the theaters when it first came out

[mickymac]

Oliver Stone has always said he wasn't making a documentary he was making a film to make people think and question what they are told.

[mastermindmartialarts]

It absolutely still holds up and I think always will. It's a superb piece of technical filmmaking. The editing in the movie is some of the best ever. And it's run time flys by. It is not completely historically accurate, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the direction, writing and acting. It's a wonderful film and always will be.

[hippiecheezburger]

The film is so good because even though Garrison lost his case the speech he gives to the jury at the end about our right as Americans to question and take charge of our government and to seek truth and justice is what makes the movie so powerful

[TheRusty]

They dont make them like that anymore this is so true for this movie, one of greatest

[frankcross]

JFK was a great movie. it wasnt about JFK it was about all these characters possibly involved in his murder. I watched the directors cut, all 3.5 hrs of it and it flew by. Not boring. Fascinating character study. Amazing cast- costner, tommy lee jones, john candy, kevin bacon, donald sutherland, sissy spacek, jack lemmon. phenomenal editing- rarely does that aspect of a movie really shine through but it absolutely made this movie. the way the current events were intertwined with flashbacks, the way scenes were shot on different film stock, just a great absorbing movie that shined some light on 1 of america's greatest myths/conspiracy/unsolved mysteries. great work oliver stone!

[HieronymusLudo]

Perhaps this is not what the channel is about, but a mention of the magnificent cinematography (its lighting especially) and editing would have been warranted. Both these disciplines won Academy Awards.

[ericfurst]

JFK is the best edited movie of all time

[habovay]

"That . . . is one magic loogie."