Even though it was the beginning of the ‘90s, JFK is one of the seminal movies of the decade. It was Oliver Stone using his cinematic powers to put forth a conspiracy he believed. Whether the audience agreed or not, it got them thinking and talking. It was satirized on Seinfeld and also represented Kevin Costner headlining yet another challenging subject matter and putting butts in seats.
All the different filmmaking techniques Stone used make an interesting 4K, much like his Natural Born Killers. Archive footage at the beginning turns into a slightly sepia tinted film stock. He combines film stocks, black and white, 8mm, 16mm, all distinct on 4K.
It gets the clearest during the main investigation, on the streets of Texas through the courtroom. JFK is about the shadow conspiracy and many scenes take place in literal shadows, in the courtroom too shrouding the witnesses. A red tint amps up the head when even Garrison’s team pushes back.
The sound is just as carefully considered. The cocking of the gun and shots echoing in the rear speakers put the viewer in the gunman’s sights, whether you believe that’s Oswald or someone else. The gunshot effect repeats every time Garrison hears them or goes over the shooting. There’s also crowd chatter everywhere he goes and even fanfare when he goes on a talk show trying to make his case to the media.
New interviews to this edition are kept under 10 min each. It may feel like there’s more to say but this keeps them focused and on point. This is one of the most well covered movies over the years so we don’t need fluff.