JFK (1991)
I have both little interest and little knowledge on the actual JFK assassination, so I don’t have particularly strong feelings about how historical correct this movie is. My intention was to see it as any other fictional movie, though it was difficult at times because the movie really insists itself into a documentary style with incorporating real news footage and fake footage that is supposed to look authentic.
That out the way, the overall investigation was generally exciting to follow and the teams unravel of all the things that don’t add up in this whole affair. And the climax with the monumental speech at the trial in the end is top tier, with a great performance by Costner. It was impossible to not be moved by that speech.
But overall the movie was only good in parts, not the whole way through and I really disliked some of the directional choices made when it came to lightning, color grading and editing. Many very bright lights, dull colors and the constant switch between regular scenes and various montage flash backs was too jarring for my taste.
Story wise, while the actual investigation is explored in depth, I found that Garrisons family and his relationship with his wife was glossed over. It had potential to be really interesting with how this work consumed him so much that it had negative effects on his relationship with his family, but we only get one or two token scenes where the issue is brought up - and great scenes by the way, but they feel like they are just inserted into the script without giving any extra substance to the overall portrayal of Garrison. It is clear that Oliver Stone didn’t have that part of Garrison’s character as a focus point, but personally I would have liked for that aspect to be explored more.
Rating: 3.5