JFK
(1991)THE CONTROVERSY Who killed John F. Kennedy? Hey, who didn't? Oliver Stone's film posited that countless individuals, from lowlife drifters to prominent Southern businessmen to top federal officials, were involved in a plot by the military-industrial complex to kill the president. Stone's hero is New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner, center), the only prosecutor ever to try anyone for involvement in the assassination.
THE FIRESTORM Many historians blasted Stone for his mixing of fact and fiction, of documentary and staged footage, and of evidence and speculation, worrying that Stone's compelling narrative would become received wisdom for moviegoers too young to know better. Others praised Stone for challenging the official version and asking questions about the high-level decision makers whose actions led to the escalation of the Vietnam War.
THE AFTERMATH The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture (it won two, for editing and cinematography). JFK also launched a vogue for conspiracy theories (popularized in such entertainments as The X-Files).
