JFK (1991)

Gripping procedural asking vital questions about liberty and power; a manic, exhilarating opus and Stone’s masterpiece despite its factual liberties and hyperbolic style.

Overblown and factually shaky but a compelling and persuasively staged conspiracy thriller with superb photography, editing and casting. Unmissable cinema.

Logic often murky with a garbled structure, but the urgent editing packs a powerful punch and the forceful data overload makes a strong case for open debate on the assassination.

As history the film is bogus, but as entertainment it is intermittently riveting thanks to strong performances and Stone's energetic direction, though the long courtroom scenes drag. Stone presents his conspiracy version as absolute truth, yet the result is still an exceptional, deeply provoking and audacious piece of cinema.

The critic calls the film disturbing and undeniably effective as an information barrage that indicts the Warren Commission. Stone's skill keeps it riveting even as the zealous conspiracy claims undercut fairness with the audience.

The critic calls Stone a masterful litigant whose gumbo-filled historical reconstruction is crafty, super-skilled filmmaking and cinematically splendid propaganda. He singles out the savvy casting of Kevin Costner as the obsessed D.A. and the documentary-style black-and-white footage for praise, while noting that most viewers will regard the conspiracy theory as BS.

The review describes the film as a mission-driven assault on sensibilities that mixes truths, half-truths and rant indiscriminately. It faults the director's style for producing a muddled result despite its meticulous-seeming detail.

The critic finds the film ultimately amounts to very little despite its length and intensity. The vast conspiracy remains vague and the movie runs in place after its barrage of images.