Oliver Stone's JFK -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 55)

Oliver Stone's 1991 movie JFK is part drama, part essay, part conspiracy theory. The movie presents viewers with the most exciting rundown of one version of who killed John F. Kennedy, the American President who was murdered in Dallas in 1963.

JFK stars a massive cast of famous actors: Kevin Costner, Jack Lemmon, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon, and on and on. It uses historical footage, reenactments, color photography and black and white, courtroom drama scenes, and everything else to get you to believe in and doubt its version of events.

I admire the editing and filmmaking in JFK tremendously, but I find that the movie defeats itself by making conspiracy theories seem obtuse and crazy. Although this is the opposite of what Stone intended, we have seen that since at least the 1990s, "conspiracy theory" has become a perjorative term. JFK doesn't just dabble in conspiracy theories; it says that they must exist and you must believe in them.

If you're new to the JFK assassination, the movie JFK is a decent place to start. It's the most wildly entertaining rundown of many of the JFK assassination details.

All reasonable comments welcome, including reasoned disagreements. I ban foolish talk on sight; it's a tremendous waste of life.

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