One Word: Masterpiece

****/****

Oliver Stone's JFK is a stunning, gripping and enthralling masterpiece. On November 22, 1963, one of the most terrible things happened to America that day; the president, John F. Kennedy was shot dead. As the film goes, a New Orleans DA named Jim Garrison takes the John F. Kennedy assassination upon himself. He feels that there's more to the story than what is being told. Jim calls in many people who claimed that they knew who Lee Harvey Oswald, Clay Shaw, David Ferrie and Jack Ruby were. Many confusing questions come up and Jim undergoes, or experiences many long nights when he is haunted by finding out the truth. He meditates at night by thinking deeply about who could've done such a terrible thing. Susie Cox, one of Jim's co-workers retrieves information from various witnesses who claimed they knew Oswald. These witnesses tell Susie about where they saw Oswald and whom he was with. One witness claimed that she saw Clay Shaw (Using an alias Clay Bertrand) and David Ferrie together with Lee Harvey Oswald. Jim calls Clay in for questions and he says that he never knew a Lee Harvey Oswald. Clay feels that Jim defiled and destroyed his reputation as a loyal New Orleans business man. About three years after the assassination, Jim meets with General 'X'. X claims he knows a lot about the Kennedy assassination. X also says that the CIA sent him as an emissary, or spy to the South Pole right before the assassination. He thought it was strange since the president was coming to Dallas in a few days. X was the one who usually got enough security ready for when the president would come.

One day, a special news report came on that says that Jim and his staff tried to entice, or lure the witnesses into saying something that wasn't true. This was hogwash made up because nobody wanted Jim to find the truth about who killed John F. Kennedy. Jim feels that the CIA was involved because David Ferrie and Guy Bannister held many camps where Cuban exiles would meet and train. They moved guns and weapons right under the noses of the CIA and they did nothing to stop it. The Cuban exiles would station inside the citadel, to overlook and keep on guard for the enemy. Everything was working out fine, just like Bannister and Ferrie planned; until John F. Kennedy shut down one of Ferrie's camps and took all of their weapons. This got Ferrie extremely angry and Jim Garrison believes that Ferrie consulted with Clay Shaw and Lee Harvey Oswald about killing Kennedy. All in all, JFK is an achievement in film-making. Oliver Stone holds us on the edge of our seats for 3 hours and 30 minutes and it's impossible to get up, for fear that you will miss something important. The direction, art direction, acting, editing and cinematography are perfect.

Rated R for violence and language.