JFK

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Oliver Stone directs. Robert Richardson behind the camera. John Williams scores. Pietro Scalia cuts. A long sit — settle in. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, France. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1At 189 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
• 2Made its money back 5.1× over at the box office.
• 335 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
• 4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
• 5International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.
• 6308+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
• 7Directed by Oliver Stone, shot by Robert Richardson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 8Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 9Editor Pietro Scalia shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 10Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman carry the top of the cast.
• 11Marketing tagline: "The story that won't go away.".
• 12IMDB entry: tt0102138 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 13Classified under 32 themes, including "vietnam war", "central intelligence agency (cia)", "assassination", "usa president".

The technical file

Cinematography

Robert Richardson

Original score

John Williams

Editing

Pietro Scalia

Production design

Victor Kempster

Costume design

Marlene Stewart

Makeup / hair

Cassandra Scott

Sound

Gregg Landaker

Stunt coordinator

Webster Whinery

Runtime

189 min · 3h 9m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$40,000,000

Box office

$205,405,498

Return

514% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

JFK (1991) ↗

Also by

Oliver Stone

• 
  The Untold History Of The United States

  2012 · ★ 8.2
• 
  Platoon

  1986 · ★ 7.7
• 
  Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

  2012 · ★ 7.7
• 
  Wall Street

  1987 · ★ 7.2
• 
  Snowden

  2016 · ★ 7.1
• 
  The Doors

  1991 · ★ 7.1

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Sniper From Window

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  X Outlines a Massive Plot in Dallas

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Full Movie Preview

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Gary Oldman introduces JFK

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  JFK Wins Film Editing: 1992 Oscars

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  JFK Wins Cinematography: 1992 Oscars

  Featurette · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• wizzardss2021-02-18
  ★ 9/10

  On 22 November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. On 24 September 1964, the President's Commission on the Assassination was presented to Kennedy's successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, presenting the results of the official Government investigation. JFK follows New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) as he form his own alternative investigation, culminating in the trial of businessman Clay Shaw (Robert De Niro) on 29 January 1969 for conspiring to assassinate President Kennedy. This is, to date, the only trial to have been brought for the assassination of President Kennedy. As political dramas go, JFK is aimed at the truly hardcore fans. With its three hour runtime, the first two hours of the film are spent delving into the background of Kennedy's death and setting up the plausibility of the "alternative" scenario. It is important to remember that this is, ultimately, a propaganda film and whether you believe the events or not, it differs from the official Government narrative. For a newcomer to the events of 22 November 1963 - which I was - this extended setup is simultaneously extremely helpful and mentally exhausting, and it is difficult to keep both awake and aware, so approaching the film with some knowledge - even of the Government narrative - is beneficial. However, the final act of the film is extremely compelling watching, featuring Costner delivering a famous soliloquy that undoubtedly helped to influence later courtroom dramas, such as A Few Good Men and Amistad, as they pitch one man against the Government. While JFK was - rightly - nominated for a number of Oscars, including Best Picture and De Niro as Best Supporting Actor, and won Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing, it is difficult to feel that Costner was inexplicably overlooked as he singlehandedly carries the final act. Extremely dry, but immensely compelling. You will question what you have just witnessed.

  Read full review ↓
• CinemaSerf2023-08-26
  ★ 7/10

  It's all the more fascinating to watch this again in 2021, almost sixty years on, when the office of the US Presidency is still mired in conspiracy and controversy. This film deals with Louisiana District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) and his almost obsessive quest to prove that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas in 1963 was a concerted effort by rogue elements in the American establishment - government, military and industry - to avert his withdrawal from Vietnam and ensure billions of dollars continued to line the pockets of many a vested interest. Oliver Stone has amassed a creditable cast to illustrate the developing theorem postulated by Garrison - despite personal and professional threats - that proves both compelling and interesting to watch. My snag is that the hook on which much of this drama is based - the characterisation of Garrison - is really poor. Costner just doesn't deliver. He is weak and uninspiring; his impassioned search for truth and justice is set up well by the strong supporting efforts, but his on-screen persona just lacks the zeal and intensity needed to sustain the intensity of this investigation. Plaudits ought to go to an excellently enigmatic Donald Sutherland as his latter day deep throat "X"; and to Tommy Lee Jones as the seriously seedy "Shaw". Kevin Bacon also performs well as the aptly named, glorified rent boy "Willie". Maybe it is the presence of such acting luminaries - Matthau, Lemmon and Sissy Spacek (Garrison's wife) that serve to further compound the inadequacies of the lead? A failure that is finally embodied by the missed opportunity to present his rousing denouement to an open court that is quickly reduced to something akin to a third grade chemistry lecture with little inflection or potency. It's long, at times feeling unnecessarily weighty. Perhaps, had the director not gone for a box office pappiness to head this otherwise gripping docu-dramna, then it could have been a great movie. As it is, it's good but lacking. Congress ordered an evaluation of the documents supporting/contesting these assertions in 1992 - the absence, meantime, of any further developments will ensure this film stays pertinent, however flawed, for many years to come...

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Warner Bros. Pictures

  US

• 

  Le Studio Canal+

  FR

• 

  Regency Enterprises

  US

• AL

  Alcor Films

  US

• 

  Ixtlan Productions

  US

• A.

  A. Kitman Ho Productions

  US

Key crew

• Art DirectionAlan Tomkins
• Executive ProducerArnon Milchan
• Costume DesignMarlene Stewart
• ProducerOliver Stone
• Art DirectionDerek R. Hill
• CastingRisa Bramon Garcia
• CastingBilly Hopkins
• EditorPietro Scalia
• Set DecorationCrispian Sallis
• ProducerA. Kitman Ho
• ProducerClayton Townsend
• Production DesignVictor Kempster
• EditorJoe Hutshing
• CastingHeidi Levitt
• Production AssistantMichael Johnson
• Wardrobe AssistantAndria Litto
• Sound MixerBill Daly
• Special Effects CoordinatorRandy E. Moore
• Visual EffectsMiller Drake
• Special EffectsBob Shelley
• Stunt CoordinatorWebster Whinery
• Steadicam OperatorJ. Michael Muro
• Music EditorKenneth Wannberg
• Script SupervisorSusan Malerstein

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• vietnam war
• central intelligence agency (cia)
• assassination
• usa president
• government
• politics
• homophobia
• texas
• new orleans, louisiana
• investigation
• john f. kennedy
• based on true story
• historical figure
• president
• conspiracy
• district attorney
• death
• john f. kennedy assassination
• taunting
• assassination of president
• speculative
• usa history
• shocking
• 1960s
• somber
• courtroom drama
• suspicious
• legal thriller
• america
• ambiguous
• antagonistic
• defiant

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere1991-12-19R· Dallas, Texas
• Theatrical1991-12-20R
• Physical2023-12-19R· Shout! Factory [Theatrical & Director's Cuts] (4K UHD + Blu-ray) Collector's Edition

Also known as

International titles

• JFK - Affaire non classéeFR
• JFK - avoin tapausFI
• JFK, i istoria pou harahtike sti mnimi masGR
• John F. Kennedy - Tatort DallasDE
• JFK: Dzonas F. Kenedis. Suviai DalaseLT
• JFK - saken fortsetterNO
• JFK: Kapanmayan DosyaTR
• J.F.K.: Caso abiertoES
• JFK - Un caso ancora apertoIT