On 22 November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. On 24 September 1964, the President's Commission on the Assassination was presented to Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, presenting the results of the official Government investigation.

_JFK_ follows New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) as he form his own alternative investigation, culminating in the trial of businessman Clay Shaw (Robert De Niro) on 29 January 1969 for conspiring to assassinate President Kennedy. This is, to date, the only trial to have been brought for the assassination of President Kennedy.

As political dramas go, _JFK_ is aimed at the truly hardcore fans. With its three hour runtime, the first two hours of the film are spent delving into the background of Kennedy's death and setting up the plausibility of the "alternative" scenario. It is important to remember that this is, ultimately, a propaganda film and whether you believe the events or not, it differs from the official Government narrative.

For a newcomer to the events of 22 November 1963 - which I was - this extended setup is simultaneously extremely helpful and mentally exhausting, and it is difficult to keep both awake and aware, so approaching the film with some knowledge - even of the Government narrative - is beneficial.

However, the final act of the film is extremely compelling watching, featuring Costner delivering a famous soliloquy that undoubtedly helped to influence later courtroom dramas, such as A Few Good Men and Amistad, as they pitch one man against the Government.

While _JFK_ was - rightly - nominated for a number of Oscars, including Best Picture and De Niro as Best Supporting Actor, and won Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing, it is difficult to feel that Costner was inexplicably overlooked as he singlehandedly carries the final act.

Extremely dry, but immensely compelling. You will question what you have just witnessed.

It's all the more fascinating to watch this again in 2021, almost sixty years on, when the office of the US Presidency is still mired in conspiracy and controversy. This film deals with Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) and his almost obsessive quest to prove that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963 was a concerted effort by rogue elements in the American establishment - government, military and industry - to avert his withdrawal from Vietnam and ensure billions of dollars continued to line the pockets of many a vested interest. Oliver Stone has amassed a creditable cast to illustrate the developing theorem postulated by Garrison - despite personal and professional threats - that proves both compelling and interesting to watch. My snag is that the hook on which much of this drama is based - the characterisation of Garrison - is really poor. Costner just doesn't deliver. He is weak and uninspiring; his impassioned search for truth and justice is set up well by the strong supporting efforts, but his on-screen persona just lacks the zeal and intensity needed to sustain the intensity of this investigation. Plaudits ought to go to an excellently enigmatic Donald Sutherland as his latter day deep throat "X"; and to Tommy Lee Jones as the seriously seedy "Shaw". Kevin Bacon also performs well as the aptly named, glorified rent boy "Willie". Maybe it is the presence of such acting luminaries - Matthau, Lemmon and Sissy Spacek (Garrison's wife) that serve to further compound the inadequacies of the lead? A failure that is finally embodied by the missed opportunity to present his rousing denouement to an open court that is quickly reduced to something akin to a third grade chemistry lecture with little inflection or potency. It's long, at times feeling unnecessarily weighty. Perhaps, had the director not gone for a box office pappiness to head this otherwise gripping docu-dramna, then it could have been a great movie. As it is, it's good but lacking. Congress ordered an evaluation of the documents supporting/contesting these assertions in 1992 - the absence, meantime, of any further developments will ensure this film stays pertinent, however flawed, for many years to come...

I saw this movie in the theater with a friend from high school. I remember the two of us walking about of the theater looking for the government bad guy that was surely hiding underneath my car. Neither one of us could believe how our government could do this to us. Over the next couple of years I read just about every book on the assassination. It is amazing how there seem to be a hundred times more that support a conspiracy theory than what actually happened. Fast forward (gulp) eighteen years. It has long been proven that Oswald had in fact acted alone. While I openly distrust the government I pride myself in the ability to call a spade a spade. But for this whole time I had still enjoyed this movie for the way it presented this (fake) drama. No more. Want to see the truth? Here it is. And now I'm disgusted. Disgusted that I enjoyed this movie for so long and disgusted that Oliver Stone could take completely liberties with the facts. It is one thing to believe that there was a conspiracy and show why you think that the government was involved. It is another thing to make up events, characters and situations that can be proven to be BS. follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com

I thought we would see JFK's life but it does not seem like that. We see the events after assasination. It is showing 60 years before, which was released 30 years ago.

After the batista was overthrown in 1959 with cuban revolution (1953-1959), usa tried to take down castro. In 1961 usa supported Bay of Pigs Invasion of cuba (so jfk supported also) but castro and cuba defeated them. That is why it is said cia wanted JFK dead.

Good to see kevin coster and kevin bacon. They are really young. Also i know some actors. Liz garrison is from bloodline series, some from alias, some from 3 divorced husbands lived together series.

Some citizens are happy about JFK's death, some are sad.

I think it was quite different days. A president could travel in a car which was not protected or armored. So defendless. MAybe he did not care about threads.

It was interesting, the suspect spoke to the journalists and the cops let it. Even, he said "cop hit me" and wanted a lawyer. It is really interesting.

3 years past but jim just realized something is not right. And started investigation. Without any fear. And probably he did not know about cia, fbi all was helping anti-castro cuban people to destroy castro. Or did he know that?

USa was amateur at that times but now they do those invasions better :)

Jim and others became a nice team. We can people wearing hats. Modern ages.

Cİa, fbi all are trying to hide. Killing the last witnesses.

That 'x' tells about how cia worked worldwide. France, nazis, italy, iran. How usa overthrown the governments. except cuba :)

I dont like or dislike JFK, i appreciate some of his works (preventing wars, supporting blacks) but i am really sad to realize how security, cia or whatever left him so vulnerable -also i think his wife who was scared in the video- and prepared his death.

And 'X' gives nice advices. "Only chance is to come up with a case", "make arrests"... What a historical moment and advice for usa history. it would be better for jim if his wife was more supportivr. she did not believe in him even. then jfk then malcolm then robert was murdered.

His wife was supportive at first, it can be different maybe.

In the last, he had such a great speech and influence but nothing happens. why