The Story That Won't Go Way

Starring: Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Jay O. Sanders, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Beata Pozniak, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Donald Sutherland, Ed Asner, Brian Doyle-Murray, John Candy

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The organizing principle of any society, Mr. Garrison, is for war. The authority of the state over its people resides in its war powers. And Kennedy wanted to end the Cold War in his second term." – X

Why watch this? Oliver Stone takes on the Kennedy assassination, not an easy topic to resolve.

Plot Summary: This historical story chronicles New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison's investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy after he becomes suspicious of the official explanation provided by the Warren Commission. As Garrison and his team delve deeper, they uncover a complex web of potential motives and inconsistencies that suggest a vast conspiracy to assassinate the president and frame Lee Harvey Oswald.

Dad's Preview: On the heels several box offices successes (namely Platoon (1986)), Oliver Stone had the clout to address the nation's story that invented the term conspiracy theory. What he delivers is a compelling courtroom drama packed with Hollywood A-List stars, that tells a whopper, occasionally peppered with facts. That is the way Stone likes his films - controversial. Costner shines as the steadfast New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison, determined to convince the jury that Kennedy was killed as part of a government conspiracy, and Lee Harvey Oswald was the scapegoat. During the trial, Garrison plays the famous Zapruder film over and over. I personally do not need to see a man's skull blown up that many times. I feel the best performance belonged to Tommy Lee Jones, as gay businessman Claw Shaw. This drama is historical, exciting, engrossing, and one possible way it might have happened.   

Le Studio Canal+, Regency Enterprises, Alcor Films, Ixtlan Corp; Warner Bros.