Killing Kennedy

Although purportedly this film is based on Bill O'Reilly's book of the same title, Killing Kennedy might well have been based on the Warren Commission Report.

If offers tantalizing hints and glimpses at those put forth by conspiracy theorists of all kinds, the Mafia, the Communists, the ultra right wing, but no one who accepts the Warren Commission will not have any problem with this film.

That being said this is a dual story of a winner and a loser. John F. Kennedy by virtue of his birth into a rich and powerful family was destined for greatness. But as Rob Lowe as JFK ruefully remarked this was supposed to be for his older brother Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. who was killed in World War II.

The loser was ne'er do well Lee Harvey Oswald played by Will Rothbaar who became a Marxist/Leninist because he couldn't hold down a job. He went to Russia and found the Soviet Union not quite what he imagined it to be. Few did who made the journey. He did bring home a Russian wife whom he abused.

No need to go into a plot here. I think most literate people know the bare facts of the crime of the last century. Rob Lowe does well as JFK, Jack Noseworthy is in complete simpatico with Lowe playing Robert Kennedy and Ginnifer Goodwin is a believable and credible Jackie Kennedy.

This version will not however create the controversy that Executive Action or JFK did. It certainly breaks no new ground.

This film was shot to celebrate one of the biggest American heroes , as the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy. A National Geographic production , which became a ratings hit for the network . Biographic picture concerns on John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), commonly known as "Jack" or by his initials JFK, he was the 35th President of the United States, serving from January 1961 until he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in November 1963. As John F. Kennedy (Rob Lowe) rises to become U.S. president, Kennedy defeated Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the 1960 U.S. presidential election ; at age 43, he was the youngest to have been elected to the office, the second-youngest president , and the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president , to date , Kennedy has been the only Catholic president ; meanwhile a former Marine , Lee Oswald (Will Rothhaar) grows disillusioned with America and emigrates to Russia . Events during JFK presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race—by initiating Project Apollo , the building of the Berlin Wall, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War . The pic deals with parallel lives from two different points of sight on existences of diverse characters , the murderer and the murdered ; along with their tragic aftermath . When their paths ultimately cross, the course of history is changed forever , as seen in this thrilling film about the assassination of JFK and its unfortunate consequences .

This is a biographic film about two different characters as JFK , it deals with his relationship to Jacqueline , historical events about Bay of Pigs (1961) and Cuban missile crisis (1962) ; while Harvey Oswald describing his progressive craziness and obsession . Being rightly based on the New York Times best seller written by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard . This is a compelling biographic thriller well starred by Rob Lowe as JFK , Ginnifer Goodwin as Jacqueline , Will Rothhaar as Lee Harvey Oswald , Michelle Trachtenberg as Marina Oswald , Jack Noseworthy as Bobby Kennedy and Casey Siemaszko as Jack Ruby . The motion picture was professionally directed by Nelson McCormick .

The picture was well based on historical deeds focusing especially JFK assassination . As President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on Friday November 22, 1963, while on a political trip to Texas . He was shot once in the throat, once in the upper back, with the fatal shot hitting him in the head. Kennedy was taken to Parkland Hospital for emergency medical treatment, but pronounced dead at 1:00 pm. Only 46, President Kennedy died younger than any U.S. president to date. Lee Harvey Oswald, an employee of the Texas School Book Depository from which the shots were suspected to have been fired, was arrested on charges for the murder of a local police officer, but was never subsequently charged with the assassination of Kennedy. He denied shooting anyone, claiming he was a patsy, but was killed by Jack Ruby on November 24, before he could be indicted or tried. Ruby was then arrested and convicted for the murder of Oswald. Ruby successfully appealed his conviction and death sentence but became ill and died of cancer on January 3, 1967, while the date for his new trial was being set.President Johnson created the Warren Commission—chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren—to investigate the assassination, which concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin. The results of this investigation are disputed by many. The United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that those investigations were flawed and that Kennedy was probably assassinated as the result of a conspiracy. The assassination proved to be an important moment in U.S. history because of its impact on the nation and the ensuing political repercussions.

This is a low-budget production starring Rob Lowe, who does a good job as JFK. The story focuses on Lee Harvey Oswald, his political leanings, and his activities prior to the assassination.

I doubt the factual accuracy of some of this. Don't tell me Jack Ruby broke down over poor Jackie now that her husband was dead. And I still think Ruby killing Oswald was something authorities let happen. He was being moved to another prison and instead of having a vehicle by the door, he was walked slowly through the garage. Then, surrounded by all these people, Jack Ruby shoots him. Also, the film shows Mrs. Kennedy all by herself sitting outside the room where doctors were working on her husband. I don't think so.

Rob Lowe was a standout. I also liked Michelle Trachtenberg as Marina Oswald. Will Rothhaar as Oswald was too good-looking, and Ginnifer Goodwin lacked the sophistication required for Jackie. Also I think her relationship with her husband was somewhat misrepresented, given what we know now.

Will Rothhaar's portrayal of Lee Harvey Oswald carries "Killing Kennedy." At two hours, with the last 35 minutes completely dominated by commercial breaks, there is simply not enough time to provide any depth or layering to JFK's side of the story. Rob Lowe does a fine impersonation of Kennedy, but ultimately he is the star of a flip book about the highlights of JFK's presidency. Oswald's ideology and personality disorders were the dominant themes of the last years of his life, more so than the outward trappings. Oswald's life was complex, too, yet the script of "Killing Kennedy" gives Rothhaar far more room to move, and this he uses to build a portrayal of a sociopath driven by paranoia, unfocused anger, misperception and arrogance.

Despite the thousands of forests that have fallen so that books might be printed about the assassination, Oswald remains an enigma to many people. Rothhaar's portrayal of Oswald ably depicts his fundamental inability to accurately assess people, organizations and situations, which left him perpetually confused, frustrated and angry. The peculiar, menacing aspects of his personality made him an abusive husband, made friendships impossible, and insured that he would be fired after only a few weeks from yet another menial job.

"Killing Kennedy" makes the case for Oswald as the lone gunman, as do Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard in their self-same titled book on which the movie is based. Whether or not you subscribe to their version of events, their portrayal of Lee Harvey Oswald as political assassin is convincing. Undeterred by his failures and dismissive of his repeated rejections, Oswald maintained the fiction that he was a revolutionary, an insurgent in movements he believed he saw happening before everyone else. There is "misguided," then there is "delusional." The former can evoke some sympathy. The latter, never.

Sociopaths have delusions of grandeur, and a notion that they are better than the groups that reject them. Lee Harvey Oswald had both, and no reason for either.

This is Bill O'Reilly's take on the assassination of President Kennedy. Maybe there's a greater depth in the book, but the movie is a fairly superficial examination of Kennedy (Rob Lowe) and Lee Harvey Oswalt (Will Rothhaar). Two TV hours with all the commercials is just not enough to do a deep look into two big characters like Kennedy and Oswalt.

There isn't much new here for Kennedy. It's a well traveled path. Of course Bill puts in all the hot button topics about the womanizing and the drug injections. Rob Lowe does little more than mimicry. Ginnifer Goodwin doesn't have the regal stature of Mrs Kennedy. Any number of other movies make a more compelling portrait. For example, the Cuban missile crisis was done better in Thirteen Days (2000).

My hope was for the Oswalt half. They could give him a depth that isn't out there in any movie. But I think Will Rothhaar does a relatively bland job. Michelle Trachtenberg does a much better job. Her role in the family is absolutely fascinating. The movie really needed to concentrate more on the Oswalts and sideline the Kennedys.

The technicals are relatively good for a TV movie. The style is still unimaginative. For the budget, we can't expect much more. It certainly doesn't have the tension or the suspense. We get nothing but the simplified highlights.