- Actors: Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Will Geer, Gilbert Green, John Anderson
- Directors: David Miller
- Writers: Dalton Trumbo, Donald Freed, Mark Lane
- Producers: Dan Bessie, Edward Lewis, Gary Horowitz
- Classification: PG
- Studio: Warner
- Run Time: 91 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CIVT
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 19,718 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Released in the wake of the Watergate break-ins, 1973's Executive Action is one of the better Kennedy conspiracy movies, not because it makes an especially convincing case for its tale of Kennedy being killed by a group of shadowy neo-cons within the system but because rather than uncover the plot through either a fearless investigator or the patsy being set up to take the fall it takes the surprisingly novel approach of seeing it entirely through the eyes of the conspirators as they put their plan together. All the favorites are there - the second and third gunman, the grassy knoll, the Cuban connection, the second Lee Harvey Oswald - although the film's much vaunted research does suffer a rather bad knock when Will Geer's suggestion that they try to discredit Kennedy based on his `personal history' is knocked back by Burt Lancaster's company man telling him that there's no dirt to discredit him with!
In many ways David Miller's film is a prototype drama-doc with name actors like Lancaster and Robert Ryan and familiar faces like Ed Lauter and Dick Miller and without the ludicrously epileptic shakeycam that's made the genre look increasingly unrealistic in recent years (real documentary footage rarely shakes THAT much). Instead, it's a solidly crafted and surprisingly involving movie that manages to build up a surprising amount of tension in its last half hour, fitting in rather neatly with Lancaster's other political thrillers like Seven Days in May and Twilight's Last Gleaming. It's not without its flaws - the new footage isn't always seamlessly integrated into newsreel footage of the actual events and the limitations of casting look-alikes are very apparent in Oscar Orcini's terrible performance as Jack Ruby - but it's unexpectedly satisfying.
Warners' DVD has a good widescreen transfer with a promo featurette and trailer for the film as well as trailers for Seven Days in May, The Gypsy Moths and Local Hero.
In many ways David Miller's film is a prototype drama-doc with name actors like Lancaster and Robert Ryan and familiar faces like Ed Lauter and Dick Miller and without the ludicrously epileptic shakeycam that's made the genre look increasingly unrealistic in recent years (real documentary footage rarely shakes THAT much). Instead, it's a solidly crafted and surprisingly involving movie that manages to build up a surprising amount of tension in its last half hour, fitting in rather neatly with Lancaster's other political thrillers like Seven Days in May and Twilight's Last Gleaming. It's not without its flaws - the new footage isn't always seamlessly integrated into newsreel footage of the actual events and the limitations of casting look-alikes are very apparent in Oscar Orcini's terrible performance as Jack Ruby - but it's unexpectedly satisfying.
Warners' DVD has a good widescreen transfer with a promo featurette and trailer for the film as well as trailers for Seven Days in May, The Gypsy Moths and Local Hero.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I read the book of the film when it was published in the 1970s but never got to see the movie, until buying the DVD finally over 30 years later!
There has clearly been a lot of new evidence generated in the interim (not least by the Anthony Sumner book "Conspiracy" and the Oliver Stone movie "JFK") since this movie's original release. However, despite this the movie still stands up well in challenging some of the perceived wisdom issued after the original enquiry. Given it came out in the Nixon/Agnew era it was a courageous movie made against industry pressure (mentioned in the included "making of"" video) and while it may not be perfect in all its parts (choice of actors or facts then available) it still tells what it covers well. The main action is around the build up to the assassination and laying down of the shooting rehearsals and the false evidence trail around Harvey Oswald and less on the aftermath, though the scenes of the plotters nervously awaiting confirmation that JFK is actually dead comes across as how it must have been for any such persons. Also having two pros like Robert Ryan and Burt Lancaster certainly upped the dramatic acting levels for what was overall quite a budget movie.
As someone who in the early 80s after reading the Sumner book spent a few hours in Dallas just walking around Dealey Plaza and before the Texas Book Depositary, seeing the film brought back again how difficult the Warren Commission explanation is to easily accept as the full and correct answer.
There has clearly been a lot of new evidence generated in the interim (not least by the Anthony Sumner book "Conspiracy" and the Oliver Stone movie "JFK") since this movie's original release. However, despite this the movie still stands up well in challenging some of the perceived wisdom issued after the original enquiry. Given it came out in the Nixon/Agnew era it was a courageous movie made against industry pressure (mentioned in the included "making of"" video) and while it may not be perfect in all its parts (choice of actors or facts then available) it still tells what it covers well. The main action is around the build up to the assassination and laying down of the shooting rehearsals and the false evidence trail around Harvey Oswald and less on the aftermath, though the scenes of the plotters nervously awaiting confirmation that JFK is actually dead comes across as how it must have been for any such persons. Also having two pros like Robert Ryan and Burt Lancaster certainly upped the dramatic acting levels for what was overall quite a budget movie.
As someone who in the early 80s after reading the Sumner book spent a few hours in Dallas just walking around Dealey Plaza and before the Texas Book Depositary, seeing the film brought back again how difficult the Warren Commission explanation is to easily accept as the full and correct answer.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This film has been under-rated and kept below the radar since it first came out decades ago, ten years after the facts it describes. It's a sober film, in almost documentary style, outlining a plausible explanation backing the conspiracy theories about the assassination of JFK. The debate about what really happened will go on forever and I've heard eloquent arguments on both sides.
I found the film powerful because it takes a subdued, discreet approach, which seems more credible than if it were creating big drama about events which were in themselves dramatic enough (no need to exaggerate!). In taking this approach, the film is consistent with the story it tells: a conspiracy carried out as discreetly as possible so as to remain undetected. To this day it is chilling to see how many different people connected to those events "passed away" in the months after the assassination, while investigations were still under way (a point made at the end of the film).
I found the film powerful because it takes a subdued, discreet approach, which seems more credible than if it were creating big drama about events which were in themselves dramatic enough (no need to exaggerate!). In taking this approach, the film is consistent with the story it tells: a conspiracy carried out as discreetly as possible so as to remain undetected. To this day it is chilling to see how many different people connected to those events "passed away" in the months after the assassination, while investigations were still under way (a point made at the end of the film).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
JFK Conspiracy
This is a very interesting film which contains elements of documentary and drama and which hypothesises about the possible reasons for the assassination of President John F Kennedy... Read more
Published 3 months ago by David Gray
jfk film
really good film it tries and tells you the true facts about how kennedy was assinated but you must for your own oppinion
Published 4 months ago by alice
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I saw this great conspiracy thriller on TCM recently and I have to say that I was very impressed with it, even though if it's not true. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mrs. Marilyn A. Rice
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The way it may well have happened! In fact I'm pretty sure, those who really did fund, organize and carry out the assassination to some extend had to do most of what is displayed... Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2008 by Steen Lykke Laursen
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