JFK

I prepared for this film for a long time, and I can now say that Stone really shone here. Oliver Stone belongs to the ranks of the most famous directors and is known as a perfectionist, which can be a drawback in some films, but here he utilized his craft to the fullest without hesitation. The assassination of President JFK still falls into the realm of various conspiracy theories, so I was very grateful for a film that brought this historical event closer to me as a viewer. The film is crafted perfectly; overall, it feels like a diamond polished to a brilliant shine, and I have absolutely no complaints. Kevin Costner delivered a truly wonderful performance in the lead role, but the supporting roles caught my attention even more, especially those played by Tommy Lee Jones and Joe Pesci. The story came together over time like a single puzzle piece; there simply weren’t any glaring dull spots. The final speech by Costner, which might feel a bit long to some, was a flawless summary of the film that I will remember for a long time and would gladly watch again because JFK certainly deserves it. I give it 92%. (03/04/2017)

At a time when Stone didn’t like American "high society" at all, this (at the time) most controversial Hollywood character proved to be an excellent fabricator with a sense of demagoguery that the viewer has no problem believing in. Stone dealt with the controversial topic in his own way, which may well be considered a true reconstruction until 2038 when the Warren Report is to be declassified. Although his leftist mindset oozes from the film at every moment, the aesthetics of the film's narrative are so evocative that we can set aside our own thoughts for three hours and be swept away by the director's analysis of the case conducted on the basis of a conspiracy thriller. The great editing blurs the distinction between documentary and cinematic fiction, and although the film is crammed with dialogue (and a final monologue by the brilliant Kevin Costner), it’s never boring. And even if three hours may seem like too much, when it's over, Stone makes the viewer feel like they've just untied the Gordian Knot. And yet... in the end, not that much gets resolved. (09/04/2006)

One first-class acting performance next to another over unsettling images of American history. But above all it's nothing more than unnecessarily heartrending personal storyline of the main character, an unjustified enormous running time, incoherent narration of the individual scenes, and plot twists. It's as if Oliver Stone is frantically reading to me from a densely written notebook and occasionally jumping into another one where the same script is being written by someone completely different at a completely time. (07/18/2022)

Stone is such a skilled filmmaker that he might even be able to give you the idea that Kennedy was a KGB agent and was shot by Martians. If it was filmed as brilliantly as JFK, you'd eat it up hook, line and sinker. I'm exaggerating, of course, but JFK is definitely formally perfect and very controversial in content. We will have to wait a few more years to know what really happened to Kennedy, when the CIA declassifies its documents and we can see the events surrounding the assassination in a broader context. Until then, we can only speculate and trust, say, Stone :). (05/11/2003)

I watched a three and a half hour long film, in which they actually talk all the time, and I wasn't bored for even a second. Does that say enough about how riveting JFK is? I hope so. Oliver Stone has masterfully handled the material and turned a script that could easily have seemed like a simple conspiratorial pub tale about the good guys and the villains into a believable story. The film literally engrossed me during the opening title sequence (a perfect montage of real and newly created shots underlined by the fantastic Williams) and until the end it kept offering something new that made it worth watching breathlessly. And the cast... Just great. (12/02/2011)