| Plot Synopsis |
by Clarke Fountain |
The November 22, 1963, assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy shocked the nation and the world. The brisk investigation of that murder conducted under the guidance of Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren distressed many observers, even though subsequent careful investigations have been unable to find much fault with the conclusions his commission drew, the central one of which was that the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone. Instead of satisfying the public, one result of the Warren Commission Report was that an unimaginable number of plausible conspiracy theories were bruited about, and these have supported a sizeable publishing mini-industry ever since. In making this movie, director Oliver Stone had his pick of supposed or real investigative flaws to draw from and has constructed what some reviewers felt was one of the most compelling (and controversial) political detective thrillers ever to emerge from American cinema. Long before filming was completed, Stone was fending off heated accusations of artistic and historical irresponsibility, and these only intensified after the film was released. In the story, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) is convinced that there are some big flaws in the investigation of Oswald (Gary Oldman), and he sets out to recreate the events leading up to the assassination. Along the way, he stumbles across evidence that a great many people had reason to want to see the president killed, and he is convinced that some of them worked in concert to frame Oswald as the killer. Among the suspects are Lyndon Baines Johnson (the next president), the CIA, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Mafia. Over the course of gathering what he believes to be evidence of a conspiracy, Garrison unveils some of the grittier aspects of New Orleans society, focusing on the shady activities of local businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones). Garrison's investigations culminate in his conducting a show trial that he knows he will lose and which he is sure will ruin his career in order to get his evidence into the public record where it can't be buried again. This movie won two of the many Academy Awards for which it was nominated: one for Best Photography (Robert Richardson) and the other for Editing (Joe Hutshing). |
| Similar Works |
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All the President's Men
(1976, Alan J. Pakula)
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Executive Action
(1973, David Miller)
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The JFK Conspiracy
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The Lincoln Conspiracy
(1977, James L. Conway)
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Malcolm X
(1992, Spike Lee)
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The Parallax View
(1974, Alan J. Pakula)
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Ruby
(1992, John MacKenzie)
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The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald
(1977, Gordon Davidson, David Greene)
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Z
(1969, Costa-Gavras)
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The Plot to Kill JFK: Rush to Judgment
(1965, Emile de Antonio)
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| Other Related Works |
| Is related to: |
Zapruder Film
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JFK Assassination: The Jim Garrison Tapes
(1991, John Barbour)
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JFK: The Day the Nation Cried
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The Kennedys of Massachusetts
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Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film
(1998, H.D. Motyl)
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JFK: The Case for Conspiracy
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The Life and Times of John F. Kennedy
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American Assassin: Lee Harvey Oswald Behind The Iron Curtain
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Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye
(1977, Gilbert Cates)
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The Missiles of October
(1974, Anthony Page)
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Pt 109
(1963, Leslie Martinson)
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Peter Jennings Reporting: The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy
(2003, Mark Obenhaus)
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Biography: John F. Kennedy - A Personal Story
(1997, Bill Harris)
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America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story
(2003, Eric Laneuville)
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The Assassination of JFK
(1992, Denis Mueller)
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Oswald's Ghost
(2007, Robert Stone)
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The Mysterious Death of Number Thirty-Five
(2008, Braddon Mendelson)
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Kennedy
(1983, Jim Goddard, Richard Hartley)
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