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JFK (1991) First Time Watching! Full Movie Reaction!!

JFK (1991) First Time Watching! Full Movie Reaction!!

Comments

To save scrolling through comments, this is the Theatrical cut.

AdrianF

Mr X is based on Colonel Fletcher Prouty. In real life Garrison and Prouty had correspondence in letters not in person. Prouty also wrote two books you ought to check out. 1. The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies In Control of the United States and the World. 2. JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F Kennedy. There is a lot of videos on youtube where Prouty talks about what he did in the military and the assassination.

Randy Cole

tried to watch along i wish you say what version your playing stopped and started a few times gave up

g

There have been numerous books and documentaries made about the JFK assassination, but one that is interesting is one that Oliver Stone made, as he looks back 30 years to the time of his film ("JFK Revisited: - Through the Looking Glass"). As you know from the comments, it's still a contentious issue, but it's interesting to get his viewpoint vis-a-vis the original.

David Martin

The magic bullet theory has actually been kind of proven or at least more plausible than the reason given in the movie. Connally and Kennedy were sitting at different heights in the car, about 6 inches difference with Kennedy sitting higher. If you fire down from an angle the bullet wounds match, however the pristine bullet would not make any sense of course. The Kennedy assassination is rightfully scrutinized because there are plenty of things that don't make sense, but like he says in the movie, how are you gonna keep a secret that big with that many people involved. I personally believe Oswald didn't act alone but he did kill Kennedy until we have definitive proof of otherwise. The real Jim Garrison makes a cameo in the movie as the man that interviews Ruby in prison and disagrees with Garrison on a tv interview in front of the supreme court.

vicious tyler

I've watched Stone's trilogy a half dozen times over the last 30 years. I was a child of parents who lived through a changed country- the 1960s into the '70s. Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven and Earth are an amazing journey to process. I strongly encourage you to watch them all. I was fascinated about America's counter cultural revolution (women's lib, civil rights, the Vietnam War), and have read many a book about JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., the Warren Commission, and our country's abyssal failure in South East Asia. I visited the War Memorial in Ho Chi Mihn City and spoke with the children of those who fought the war there. I stood in front of the Memorial in Washington DC and read the names of many of our soldiers who fell. I've spoken with my father and others' fathers who fought in Vietnam. I've held my father's fatigues that he wore during his tour while listening to my friend's father speak of his duties as a pilot whilst stationed there. I've had a need to understand and I think it is b/c the things that happened were so huge and complex and very significant. I was a child when all this occurred, far too young to remember much but the pictures and TV and radio and magazines and lived memories were saved and spoken of time and again from my youth into my adulthood. The best way to understand is to talk to people who lived during that time. America changed so much in very very profound ways during the 60s and 70s that really makes the changes my generation and those after it faced (are facing) almost silly. It was a time when The People had a great influence on their country. A tumultuous time in which Americans took notice and made a Stand. Speaking of taking a STAND, check out Stephen King's book 11/22/63; his take on JFK. That novel will blow your mind as any Stephen King book can and does. King pays due diligence to the details and the facts at hand, simultaneously dismissing most of the conspiracy theories (tongue in cheek) in favor of exploring how the assassination might be prevented. His premise is that the past does not want to be changed, that the "The Past is Obdurate." It's 800 pages of action, suspense, and romance of one man's quest to live the past in the hopes of stopping Oswald. The consequences are dire and the message is clear. It happened, we live with it and we learn all there is to know of it and we pass that on to our children to ensure that it never happens again. But that nagging itch in the backs of our minds never goes away; that itch to experience the significant changes that are unique to that period of America's history.

tempest

Right with you about JFK being a cold warrior. Both parties were ardently anti-communist, it was just a matter of how fanatical the politician was about it. The idea that Kennedy was a true threat to the status quo is absurd on its face. There's no reason for the CIA to assassinate Kennedy because they could just wait until he was out of office. Nothing Kennedy was going to do would fundamentally change the geopolitical situation. In fact, some believe why the US hasn't had more political violence at the higher levels of government is because each party knows they're gonna get another chance sooner or later. How long that will be the case, I can't say, but I think there's some merit to that theory. I also think a secondary reason they passed presidential term limits was to prevent another truly populist president having enough time to enact more New Deal type policies.

Jeffrey Miller

Oliver Stone makes a wonderful film. I have seen this movie atleast a dozen or more times since I was a kid in the 1990s, and I enjoyed watching the full length version with you guys. Whether Oswald did it or whether aliens did it, it doesn't take away from what happened or from a great film about Jim Garrison's trial against Clay Shaw. Good reaction! -Mike

Mike the Ginger

According to Ermey, in his time irl, slurs were fair game but gut punches were dinifitely not.

David W.

"JFK wasn't some leftie looking to hold hands with Kruschev - he was a committed Cold Warrior." -- Sure Jan, but don't you know that anything less extreme than Mcarthy is communist? /s

David W.

Totally agree. I'd suggest: A Perfect World (on the run drama with Clint Eastwood) Waterworld (Mad Max on water) The Highwaymen (Costner and Woody H crime thriller)

Odd Thomas

I'd add Nixon to that group.

Erwin Quiachon

Oliver Stone has said that Platoon, Born On The Fourth Of July, and JFK are movies he made as sort of his trilogy, of what and when he believes things went wrong with America. Born On The Fourth Of July is a definite must see in my opinion, it's a true story and possibly Tom Cruise's best performance as an actor, at least up there. Alexander would also be a great reaction, I saw an expert on ancient warfare say that the scenes in that movie are some of the most accurate ever in any movie, especially the Battle Of Gaugamela, I sometimes watch that scene on YT just because it's so awesome, brutal, but that's how brutal that kind of warfare really was. Highly recommend both movies.

Joe D. MacGuffinstuff

Has Oliver Stone ever had a homosexual character in any of his movies that wasn't portrayed as a villain? I remember how it seemed like he was denying that Alexander The Great was bisexual.

Erwin Quiachon

I don't think Ermey's character was trying to make Oswald a hero. He was trying to set the standard for marksmanship expected of Marines, regardless of morality. Today, that drill instructor would be reprimanded for the way he presented that standard. Drill instructors are no longer allowed to hit or choke recruits or use racial slurs. It seems like I've been reading about some commander being either reassigned or kicked out of the military for assaulting someone under their command every other month.

Erwin Quiachon

…if you believe he did it. I don’t.

Jason Chirevas

No wonder Kubrick had R Lee Ermey so eagerly scoop up LHO as a goddamn hero: Not because the sergeant believed that Kennedy was a communist deserving brutal death (like the dude in JFK says), but because the shot was impossible so that makes LHO a goddamn good marine product.

David W.

In a timeline where that is 100% true and proven, then Kennedy would have been in the same "With friends like these..." category as James 'Put Him On A Springs-Bed To Find The Bullet With A Metal Detector' Garfield for sure. :(

David W.

I think the actual "smoking" gun is that the Warren Report just doesn't hold up. - Which is what COstner's whole trial is trying to sow into the people.

David W.

I haven't read it, but probably got the same ideas from reading or hearing random things, but yeah, I think the Secret Service scenario is the most likely is because it's the most Occam's Razor thing - it explains all the weirdness of the cover-up without it being some massive conspiracy, explains the discrepancies between the official story and the reality of things, and so on. Oswald's a weirdo who got lucky and then everything else fell apart is far more likely than whatever yarns people want to hear. That doesn't make this a non-great movie though, just not a truthful one.

Jesse Ewiak

Have you read 'Mortal Error'? It's all about the Secret Service friendly fire theory. The book analyzes the forensic evidence and doesn't focus on conspiracies. It even has less common photos that most people haven't seen that reveal new evidence. IMO THIS is the most likely answer to what happened. It explains why the bullet from the headshot shredded into pieces and why the shot that went through his neck and hit the Governor stayed intact - Oswald's shots came from a bolt action rifle with full metal jacket ammo that stays intact, whereas ammo from a high powered assault rifle (which the secret service were armed with) will shred apart after hitting its target. It explains why witnesses saw and smelled gun smoke on the ground level as well. The saddest part is that even if the secret service agent didn't accidentally fire his weapon when the driver stepped on the gas, Kennedy would have still likely ended up a vegetable from the neck-shot. It even explains why they were so eager to get Kennedy's body out of Dallas and why his brain was removed. They really, really don't want to admit that the government agency that is specifically tasked with protecting the President accidentally killed him in the middle of a crisis.

Brandon

Make it a point, Sam. It’s a masterpiece that surpasses even this movie and deals much more factually with its subject.

Jason Chirevas

To be fair to the movie, Oliver Stone has always said JFK is his “alternate myth” to what he says is the myth of the Warren Commission report. As a result, the movie is extremely speculative in some areas — around Jack Ruby especially — as Stone sought to combat the conventional wisdom on the assassination. That said… For me, the key scene, and the key evidence, is in the shooting itself. Even leaving the Magic Bullet aside, there is next to zero chance Oswald, or anyone, could have done that shooting, with that rifle, alone. I believe in exactly no conspiracy theories. Except parts of this one.

Jason Chirevas

Yeah, the one Daniel said looks like an alien! hahaha!!

Philip Alan

And Wayne Knight (NEWMAN) plays the part again on Seinfeld but as Newman! Classic! :)

Philip Alan

It's a great movie. Whether it has any connection to the truth is a whole other story. Since Garrison was obviously close to Stone (he had a cameo in the movie as Earl Warren), a lot of the more shadier stuff wasn't in the movie, and as pointed out above, a lot of the more salacious stuff has nothing backing it up. Also, there's stuff like the Joe Pesi character actually died of natural causes and the Kevin Bacon character not existing. Perhaps more importantly, the key idea underpinning the whole thing - that JFK was going to pull out of Vietnam is questionable at best. JFK wasn't some leftie looking to hold hands with Kruschev - he was a committed Cold Warrior. Now, he had conflicts with the Old Guard that had largely been in place since World War II through Truman & Eisenhower, but that was more a generational conflict between those that ran World War II, and the new Camelon coming into run things. Now, JFK probably would've been less committed than LBJ for a variety of reasons, but a lot of what Stone claims is basically Boomer liberal wish fulfillment of a better world that was likely not going to happen. The actual conspiracy I find most likely is one not mentioned here - the Secret Service, as they've kind of consistently done (as seen with more recent stories) got drunk the night before, and in the reaction to Oswald's first shot, one agent accidentally shot JFK with the killing blow, and that led to the magic bullet theory and one could claim a lot of the more conspiratorial stuff to cover up the Secret Service completely failing to protect the POTUS.

Jesse Ewiak

Oliver Stone's JFK is a mixture of both fact and fiction. The smoking gun evidence--David Ferrie's confession, the existence of Willie O'Keefe, the conversation with Mr. X--are all inventions to benefit Hollywood storytelling. The circumstantial evidence--the intimate personal connections among law enforcement and subversive groups in New Orleans and elsewhere, Operation Mongoose and the CIA's prolific history of coups abroad, Oswald's far-fetched life story of changing sides, indications of multiple Oswalds at multiple locations, the intelligence community's deep dissatisfaction with the direction of Kennedy's foreign policy, the eyewitness testimony on November 22 (and some subsequent deaths), recently fired and disgruntled Allen Dulles taking charge of the government's investigation, numerous incongruities with the Kennedy autopsy, and the government's refusual even 60 years later to release a signifciant archive of files on the assassination for reasosn of "national security"--among others, are all accurate. A significant portion of Americans have believed Oswald didn't act alone since the moment Kennedy died, and Stone's movie provided an accessible entry point for more people to dive into alternate explanations. If you two (or any other patrons) are interested in reading more and only have time for one book, James Douglass' "JFK and the Unspeakable" (2008) is widely considered one of the best books laying out the case for a government conspiracy, including by Oliver Stone. JFK is an incredible masterwork of filmmaking. It's over three hours long, is bloated with dialogue and significant portions of it are just information dumps. On paper, it should be nearly unwatchable. But the editing style is so unique and quick and captivating, the performances so engrossing, and the instrumental score so weaved into conversations, that you remain emotinally engaged, mentally focused, and hungry for more from the moment it starts to the moment it ends. Personally, I think it's Kevin Costner's best performance by a country mile. None of the cast are asleep in this; Joe Pesci's monologue ("a mystery wrapped in a riddle") is top tier for him; this was one of John Candy's few dramatic roles and he nails it (look up how the real Dean Andrews talked, it's identical); Donald Sutherland's cameo as Mr. X is quietly haunting, his speech so subdued but his revelations so grand. Brilliance following brilliance. Going beyond the real history of what happened to John F. Kennedy in Dallas, this is a great movie that needs to be watched more just based on its artistic merits alone. Thank you guys so much for reacting to this one, and I think your post-discussion with its inclusion of real world commentary along with the film is one of your best.

Hunter DeRensis

Also PLEASE watch this clip from Seinfeld spoofing the magic bullet in JFK. Still one of the best. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBz3PqA2Fmc

Ellie Miller

I know it's a controversial movie and I've heard compelling arguments refuting at least some of what Oliver Stone asserts here, but one thing has always bothered me about the official story, Lee Harvey Oswald is one of very rare assassins who refused to admit he did it, most are proud of what they've done, and even though they often try to run, when captured they usually take the opportunity in the spotlight to say why they did it, to justify their actions, to proclaim their patriotism or whatever cause they say they support. I'm not saying he didn't do it, I just think it's odd and it makes me wonder, that and his being almost immediately murdered. I remember a joke from Buzzfeed Unsolved, the Secret Service said they didn't have enough personnel to watch all the corners and the 20,000 windows along the selected route, "We don't have enough guys to look at all these windows, so what if we, just don't do shit." I'm not a big conspiracy guy but this reminds me of something a comedian said, how he thinks it's strange if you don't believe in at least one conspiracy 😂

Joe D. MacGuffinstuff

I am Canadian but watching JFK & Nixon as a teen got me interested in political history.

Daniel N

Fantastic observation. I do remember when it was new that Siskel & Ebert admired the use of 8mm, 16mm and 35mm in both colour & B&W.

Daniel N

E. Howard Hunt

Ray Johnson

Agreed! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

Oh man, those were some rough images -Sam

TBR Schmitt

😂😂

TBR Schmitt

Wow, thanks for sharing! I didn’t realize! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

Let us know your Costner recommendations! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

Ooh! A theme! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

Never heard of this but Stephen King, count me in! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

We have not! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

A Perfect World is my favorite performance of his.

Bennett Holleman

Love Kevin Costner but Sissy Spacek dominates all of her scenes with him. What a powerhouse she is!

Bennett Holleman

Those are real autopsy photos, btw. Love this movie!

Philip Alan

The man who plays Earl Warren—the man with the glasses who is questioning Jack Ruby in prison—is the actual Jim Garrison. Cool little cameo.

Aimee

Ah, one of my favorites! I watched this not long after it came out (I was about 12) and then read “Crossfire”. This was my introduction to “conspiracy theories” and I haven’t looked back since, lol. Skepticism and distrust of the government is my jam. This is also why I love The X-Files, lol. Trust no one and question everything.

Aimee

Well said. Stone managed to somehow push himself even further with Natural Born Killers. The editing on that took nearly a full year to complete.

Brandon

Nice. I might have to sub over there to see her reaction

f hf

Charles Harrelson (Woody's father) was a convicted contract killer. He said he had killed Kennedy and judge John H. Wood Jr. during a stand-off with police while completely blasted on cocaine. He was eventually convicted for Wood's murder but he was never formally linked to Kennedy's death. From wikipedia: "In a television interview after his arrest, Harrelson said: "At the same time I said I had killed the judge, I said I had killed Kennedy, which might give you an idea to the state of my mind at the time." He said that the statements made during the standoff were "an effort to elongate my life."

ED209

Outstanding catch.

Erwin Quiachon

I’d say my top ten Stone is: Platoon Wall Street The Doors JFK Talk Radio Born on the 4th of July Natural Born Killers Any Given Sunday Heaven and Earth Nixon

Jason Dolan

This is a must watch. Popcorn in Bed just did it this week, and Thirteen Days.

Jason Dolan

I loved that miniseries

Jason Dolan

If I’m not mistaken I believe one of the three “hobos” was Woody Harrelson’s dad

Jason Dolan

The astounding thing to me is that this wasn't edited on a computer. Digital editing didn't really start until 1995. This was done analogue. This movie has so many cuts and so much information. It's so dense, but it was edited with people holding actual film in their hands, physically cutting, and then taping the pieces together. For all the theories, people forget that this is an superbly well made movie. No one had used different film stocks like this or edited like this. The reems of information feel stimulating not overwhelming. Oliver Stone is completely underrated as a pure filmmaker. Also he's incredible with actors. In 1991, who knew Kevin Bacon could play this kind of role?

Ellie Miller

Wall Street, yes!

Grand Moff Slackin'

Wow, nice! One of my favs. While I do believe there’s something hincky going on with the JFK assassination, I do remind myself that this is Oliver Stone’s take on what happened. He definitely takes liberties with events and evidence. But I do think more happened on that day than the official narrative is telling us.

Grand Moff Slackin'

A whole lot of historians have been pulling their hairs about this film since it came out. I saw this film as a young teen and it mesmerized me. I watched it on my own, then with my dad and then with my step-brother within a few months. As of this comment, I still haven't rewatched it. Oliver Stone and his team's filmmaking and storytelling qualities are beyond dispute. However, historically it's a bunch of conspiracy theory gobbledygook and should be considered as true to life as the average episode of Law and Order. The film did inspire a reopening of the investigation. Government transparency is IMO a good thing so that's cool. I've taken this from the Clay Shaw wiki page: "On March 1, 1969, Shaw was acquitted less than an hour after the case went to the jury. Shaw denied any part of a conspiracy and said of the slain President: "I was a great admirer of Kennedy. I thought he had given the nation a new turn after the rather drab Eisenhower years ... I felt he was vitally concerned about social issues, which concerned me also. I thought he had youth, imagination, style, and élan. All in all, I considered him a splendid president." Social issues concerned Shaw because he was gay and a more socially progressive president was a good thing for him. Again from the wiki about later disclosures related to his involvement with US intelligence: "In 1979, Richard Helms, former Director of the CIA, testified under oath that Shaw had been a part-time contact of the Domestic Contact Service (DCS) of the CIA, where Shaw volunteered information from his travels abroad, mostly to Latin America. Like Shaw, 150,000 Americans (businessmen, and journalists, etc.) had provided such information to the DCS by the mid-1970s "on a nonclandestine basis", and that "such acts of cooperation should not be confused with an actual Agency relationship". We could have a fairly exhaustive (and exhausting) conversation about the trial and Garrison's methods and how the film presents information. I'll simply end it with this bit from the JFK wiki page: "One of [Oliver Stone]'s primary goals with JFK was to provide a rebuttal to the Warren Commission's report that he believed was "a great myth. And in order to fight a myth, maybe you have to create another one, a counter-myth."

ED209

True Classic !!

Florian Meier

I would love that !!!

Florian Meier

It would be great if you guys do a Kevin Costner filmography watch. The man has an impressive bunch of films under his belt!!

Gerald Corona

I think "Thirteen Days", "Parkland", and "JFK" (in that order) make a very well rounded trilogy of movies concerning Kennedy.

Gerald Corona

I agree! I read the book. Then saw the miniseries. It was faithful to the King story and very well made. SK really does have a unique touch with genres outside of horror. Including fantasy, drama, sci-fi, zombie apocalypse...etc.

Gerald Corona

Todos los Kennedy's riceben su merecido. Jugar en Minecraft. (political parody).

Moe howard

Very much looking forward to watching your reaction to this! I recommend Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” (1995) as a follow-up to JFK.

Daniel N

Oliver Stone returned to the subject in 2021 with a documentary called "JFK Revisited -Through the Looking Glass (2021)". It's an excellent examination of all the revealing investigations that have happened over the years. Also, another excellent documentary is "JFK - What the Doctors Saw (2023)". The doctors (and there were quite a few in the trauma room) at Parkland Hospital have kept silent for 50 years, but last year they went public with their views of what happened based on the wounds to Kennedy's body. No investigation of what their opinions were was ever conducted, and a few were warned not to voice their opinion. Fascinating stuff.

David Martin

I really liked Parkland too, which deals with the Kennedy assassination from a different perspective.

Jen Barnes

No Way Out is very underrated. I was totally taken by surprise by the twist at the end.

David Martin

12-22-63 miniseries with James Franco time travel movie about this very story is great. i highly recommend it. stephen king story

James

Have you guys seen, All The President's Men?

f hf

Oh my god I can’t wait to do this one with you guys! This movie you could say was Quentin Tarantino’s inspiration for Inglourious Basterds to some extent lol

Jason Dolan

The other great Oliver Stone movie is Natural Born Killers

Odd Thomas

I believe it’s the theatrical! We didn’t realize there were 2 versions but googling the run time, I think it’s the theatrical! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

This is a Masterpiece !! And what a unbelieveable Cast !!! There are so many Top Stars inside!!! The next Oliver Stone should be "Wall Street" from 1987 with the Oscar Performance from Michael Douglas !!! Please watch also more Kevin Costner !! "Dancin With Wolves" from 1990, "A Perfect World" from 1993, "Waterworld" from 1995 and "No Way Out" from 1987

Florian Meier

Is this the theatrical or director’s cut? Either way one of my faves!

Ricardo Alanis

99% of the files have been declassified, but some are so sensitive (CIA secret files) they are re-classified until 2036

Chris Bruneau

Yes! They had a little blurb at the end but doesn’t look like much progress has been made! -Sam

TBR Schmitt

Looking forward to this. Oliver Stone had an incredible run in the 80’s and 90’s. His partnership with cinematographer Robert Richardson produced so many classic images.

Garry L

WOW!! didn't know this was coming. Oliver Stone's greatest epic film! did you know it was SO realistic, Congress actually re-opened its investigation into the assassination because of the public uproar at the time. I myself am not a conspiracy theorist, but there was always something suspicious about the whole thing. got a lot pf work today, so wont be able to watch until the weekend, :(

Chris Bruneau

I've been looking forward to you guys watching this one for so long!

Hunter DeRensis

Phenomenal movie.

James


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