JFK

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. (2022-07-18)

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. (2006-09-04)

An impressive Kevin Costner and stickler for detail, Oliver Stone. An excellent reconstruction, but if we ask the question: “What has this actually done to change anything?" the answer is just a shrug. We’ll have to wait a couple more years for the final and official version of this review, but I’m sure it’s drawing near (I’m sure that they are hard at work on it right now). P.S.: The part with Donald Sutherland is perfect. (2011-04-17)

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 :). (2003-05-11)

A quality film. Oliver Stone with another one of his burning topics of American history and again well executed. A good screenplay, great camera work (the black and white the authentic footage are fantastic and enhance the overall authenticity of the film), excellent editing, and quality acting performances. (2004-09-01)