Ruby DVD
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 Rating: - Had great potential, comes up a bit short, 3.5 stars
When it comes to films re-telling the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, or involving characters snared in the events of that November weekend, one is always certain to navigate between fact and fiction, speculation and interpretation, and without a doubt, opinion and controversy. Regardless of where one's interpretation of the events in Dealey Plaza stands (I'm one of those minorities that thinks Oswald did it alone), however, the bulk of the movies that build the body of their plots around this event can be enjoyed on the entertainment level despite their historical inaccuracies.

Much like Oliver Stone's "JFK" and the Mark Lane-inspired "Executive Action," the Danny Aiello vehicle herein falls into the entertainment category. However, in my opinion, "Ruby" is not filmed in a format like the other two, where an obvious agenda for swaying the mind of the viewer is in place. I would instead rank this film with the novels of James Ellroy and Don DeLillo ("American Tabloid" and "Libra," respectively), stories that take a true event and build a fictional approach to the subsequent controversies surrounding it. It is obvious, however, that the screenwriter holds a belief that Ruby was involved in a conspiracy, but I didn't feel his opinion was as prominent as Stone's was in "JFK."

And "Ruby" is decidedly more fiction than anything else, with events like Jack Ruby being a hitman for the CIA/Mob to whack Castro. However, these events are likely inspired by real people and real events, and they have just been incorporated into the film for dramatic license, and to also make Ruby seem like he knew more than we, the people, have been told.

Unfortunately, the historical record--and yes, Ruby's own testimony--indicate he was merely another nut like Oswald, a man thoroughly devastated by the murder of JFK who acted out on another prominent feeling he contained: A desire to be famous. Much has been made of Ruby's testimony before the Warren Commission, regarding his statement that he could tell the truth only in Washington, yadda yadda. However, and as shown at the end, ellipses and selective culling of what Ruby stated frequently ignore the fact that Ruby made repeated denials of being involved in a conspiracy to kill either Kennedy or Oswald. If anything, Ruby was likely showing the symptoms of paranoia he would display later on when making statements that claimed a new Holocaust of Jews was occurring in the US, with some being murdered in the floors below his prison cell. Despite this, the conspiracy believers will likely see this as mere propaganda placed in the historical record by the cover-up artists to discredit Ruby, citing his not-so-mysterious death from cancer as proof he was silenced, despite the fact that Ruby never really had much of anything to say.

Despite it's obvious knack for speculation in lieu of historical adherence, this film is actually pretty good, though far below the entertainment standards of Stone's film (which likewise is thoroughly inaccurate and speculative, but is very impressive and quite a technological marvel). Danny Aiello, while not physically resembling Jack Ruby in many ways, gives a fine, emotionally charged performance. One can only wonder how amazing he would have been had he been playing the Ruby character that historians have come to know, as Aiello hits the mark as an emotionally high-strung man with a penchant for violence and occasional gentleness in measure. Arliss Howard is also especially fun to watch as the mysterious "spook" Maxwell, a CIA agent who snares Jack in the darkness brewing in the time period. Sherilyn Fenn is amazingly gorgeous on screen, playing a composite character who seems to be a combination of Beverly Oliver ( a claimed associate of Ruby who claimed to have filmed the Dallas motorcade, but is deemed unreliable by many researchers) and Judith Exner (a supposed liason between the Mob and Jack Kennedy). However, her role didn't give her much to work with, other than being eye candy (coincidentally enough, her act name is Candy Cane. Go figure) and eventually, the damsel in distress. Her character could have been far more interesting had it been developed further, but then again, we're watching a film called "Ruby," not "Candy Cane." The scene-stealer to me, however, was the always-mysterious Tobin Bell as David Ferrie, managing to look ten times more bizarre and frightening than Joe Pesci's take on the character in "JFK." Here, we see a Ferrie who cackles at serving up a man he has known for years as a fall guy, a man with an intense voice and a penetrating gaze. One can only wonder how Bell would have handled the part in JFK had Stone offered it to him.

The movie moves a bit slow in the start, but once Jack starts becoming caught up in the intrigue with Maxwell, things liven up a little. A solid musical score gives the film a noir-ish feel, and the set design and camerawork capture the feel of the 60's and the dirty seedy underbelly of the American Dream. This movie feels like an Ellroy novel in so many ways to me.

My kudos have to go to the filmmakers for their rendition of the assassination scene, managing to create a subtle yet shocking re-creation which looks quite good. The addition of the song "Amazing Grace" while the bullets are fired packs an emotional wallop, especially considering how good the costumes and adherence to detail from photographs looks. It's quite impressive, almost like a less glossy and underproduced version of what Stone did in his film. Thankfully, the filmmakers opted not to have a six-bullet scenario like Stone, which ranks this interpretation a little higher on the Sanity List in my opinion, this in spite of my disagreement with a shot from the Knoll. I digress, however, from my main point: It's well-achieved on screen.

The film lost a few points from me in the way it doesn't go into detail about some events of November 22, 1963, such as the death of Officer JD Tippit, but this can also be chalked up to the fact that Ruby likely had no knowledge of them. Thus, the film sticking to what he saw (or would come to learn eventually) gives the movie a feel of being the Jack Ruby portrayed herein, which gives the movie a good emotional hook to invest in.

It's not the greatest thing I've ever seen, but it's decidedly underrated and underappreciated. Give it a try!

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