JFK2026-01-24
Toronto, ON
It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma! The fuckin' shooters don't even know! Don't you get it?
Evidently, Oliver Stone felt he didn't get enough vitriol of his country's government out there with Platoon, so he decided to take it to the courtroom here. And regardless of the validity of what he's presenting here, it's that boiled over frustration that really steals the show here. It's a plea for a country and its people to start demanding the truth. For Stone to put these institutions on blast in such a blunt manner, knowing just how wide his platform reaches, is wild. To be fed all these resources, a who's-who of early '90s Hollywood, is just as wild. To get an end product that clocks in at over three hours, seemingly unfiltered and untouched by studio interference, is even wilder. The way this thing is woven together, frenetically edited into oblivion, only adds fuel to the fire of deceit and paranoia. Kevin Costner inundates us with one of the most relentless and detailed monologues I've ever seen. John Candy and Donald Sutherland spawn out of nowhere, each stealing the show for a few minutes. Overall, just impossibly ballsy in both ambition and execution.
Watched on 35mm at the Revue. 35 on 35mm series, marking the film's 35th anniversary. Great to knock this one off the watchlist, on 35mm to boot.