Rating: R
Genre:
Thriller
Theatrical Release: 12/20/1991(USA)
Release Date: 11/11/2003
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol/Por
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 205 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Not For Children, Sexual Situations
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
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).
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Average Review:
Number of reviews: 1
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A reviewer
from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The Elements of a Conspiracy.
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone presents a stunning, powerful drama featuring an all-star cast based on the books by Jim Garrison and Jim Mars which focuses on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Kevin Costner portrays Jim Garrison, the New Orleans District Attorney, who begins a turbulent, obsessive investigation into exposing a possible U.S. government conspiracy linking to the Kennedy assassination. Also starring Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Edward Asner, Sally Kirkland, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Donald Sutherland, Lolita Davidovich, Wayne Knight, Joe Pesci, Frank Whaley, John Larroquette, Ellen McElduff, John Candy, and Vincent D'Onofrio. The movie won two Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. Look for the real Jim Garrison in the picture.
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