This epic 3-hour political thriller with Kevin Costner was so controversial it changed US law

The 1991 Kevin Costner film JFK managed to stir up so much controversy that the historical drama changed real-life US law. 1991 JFK saw director Oliver Stone take on his most ambitious task yet. Fresh off the critical success of Platoon, Wall Streetand Born on the Fourth of JulyStone adapted Jim Garrison's nonfiction book On the trail of killers and Jim Marrs' Crossfire: the plot that killed Kennedy in an epic 188-minute political thriller that aimed to finally explain the lingering mysteries surrounding JFK's 1963 assassination.

While JFK Still ranked among Oliver Stone's best films, the film garnered as much controversy as it did praise upon release. Stone's film starred Kevin Costner as Jim Garrison, the Louisiana district attorney who investigated the Kennedy assassination and explored theories surrounding a conspiracy to kill the president and use Lee Harvey Oswald as a scapegoat. Stone and Costner's film has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories about the murder, but JFKThe company's success spoke for itself. Earning over $200 million on a budget of just $40 million, JFK remains Stone's most financially successful film.

The Controversy Surrounding Kevin Costner's JFK Movie Explained

Oliver Stone's JFK explored numerous theories surrounding the president's assassination

Stone JFK patiently explores a complex web of relationships between Kennedy, his predecessor Dwight D. Eisenhower, his successor Lyndon B. Johnson, his assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, Oswald's own assassin Jack Ruby, and various members of the military-industrial complex. One of Kevin Costner's best films, JFK It is impressive for its relative simplicity, given the labyrinthine complexity surrounding the circumstances of the President's death. JFK proposes that JFK's assassination was part of a conspiracy to keep America in Vietnam and expand the CIA's powers, both happened after the president's death.

Most JFKGarrison's lengthy runtime is devoted to following up on leads about the murder, only to discover an increasingly worrying number of flaws in the official account. Garrison discovers that witnesses were trained, statements were changed, and soon many key figures went into hiding, turned up dead, or refused to speak to their lawyer. Put JFKIn Garrison's conclusion, Garrison becomes convinced that JFK's death was linked to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr and that all three are linked to a conspiracy involving the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and the military-industrial complex.

How JFK Helped Lead to Passage of the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act

Murder Records Review Board Admitted Stone's Blockbuster Had a Point

While Oliver Stone Platoon was considered one of the greatest Vietnam War films ever made, JFK was considerably more controversial upon its release. Reviews were mixed, but the film's eight Oscar nominations prove that this was in part due to the political leanings of critics. Many reviewers dedicated more of their reviews to criticism JFKversion of the story than the film itselfwith Richard Roeper calling the film “Journalistically bankrupt nonsense”in 2008 Unmasked! Conspiracy theories, urban legends and evil plots of the 21st century. However, JFK managed to change an element of the murder story.

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 made new government records related to the assassination available to the public. Hoping to quell the fervor surrounding the event, the law effectively admitted that JFKthe portrayal of a widespread conspiracy had some merit. In an attempt to counter the narrative presented in JFKThe Murder Records Review Board made public documents relating to the murder between 1992 and 2017, rather than waiting until 2029 as had previously been planned. The Council recognized JFKconcern over a lack of transparency, but did not confirm the film's conclusions.

Kevin Costner's Star Was Brightest When JFK Was Released

Costner's Hollywood career peaked around the arrival of JFK in 1991

There are many reasons why JFK defied the odds as a 3-hour political drama and managed to gross $200 million at the box office. One was the widespread public unease surrounding the murder. Another was JFKThe extraordinary supporting cast, which included Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Laurie Metcalf, John Candy, Joe Pesci, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Wayne Knight. However, Costner's contributions to JFKThe performance of should not be underestimated.

Costner was coming off an incredible box office run when he starred JFK. The Untouchables, Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thievesand The bodyguard were all successes, and his divisive work in Aquatic world and The postman was still years away. Kevin Costner's worst films can be quite difficult to watch, but the actor's star power in the '90s was undeniable. Kevin Costner used that megawatt star power to turn a 3-hour political drama into a bona fide box office hit, and despite the odds, JFK ended up impacting US law as a result of the film's success.

Sources: Unmasked! Conspiracy theories, urban legends and evil plots of the 21st century (Richard Roeper, 2008)