JFK. 1991. USA. Directed by Oliver Stone. Screenplay by Stone, Zachary Sklar. With Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Lemmon. 189 min.
In our collective memory, the presidency of John F. Kennedy is as much about mystery and intrigue as it is about politics, due in large part to his much-debated assassination in November 1963. Stone’s film focuses on Louisiana district attorney Jim Garrison, who firmly rejects the verdict that Lee Harvey Oswald alone killed the president, only to be murdered himself—live on TV—by Jack Ruby. Garrison’s conclusions differ dramatically from the government’s official assessment—and seem to put his own life in jeopardy.