A comprehensive and entertaining doc about the JFK murder that glosses the major conspirator theories and draws its own conclusions.
Truth is the Only Client: The Official Investigation of the Murder of John F. Kennedy
Grade: B+
Directors: Todd Kwait (Tom Rush: No Regrets), Rob Stegman (Pack Up Your Sorrows)
Screenplay: Kwait, Stegman
Runtime: 2h 20m
Rating: R
By: John DeSando
If you happened not to be alive on November 22, 1963, then Truth is the Only Client is a comprehensive and accurate accounting of JFK’s murder and the investigations to follow. I suspect you will appreciate it and accept it as the definitive analysis of an historical event impacting everyone alive then and now and yet unborn.
Lawyers associated with the Warren Commission, intimates of players like Marina Oswald, and outside investigators into the many conspiratorial theories weigh in with commentary that in its pacing and serenity speaks to honest recollections, not fabrications. Most prominent is the minute detail to support the theory that three bullets were shot from one gun, negating the multiple shooters, grassy knoll theory. The scientific detail is too long in the recounting but persuasive.
Theories about Lee Harvey Oswald’s motives abound as well despite the lack of evidence showing links with others. That he was influenced by his Communist sympathies to the extent of his shooting JFK to support Fidel Castro (whom the US had targeted for assassination) holds some credibility. That he was connected to Jack Ruby, who murdered him, is left mostly unfounded.
And much more. Just over two hours, this doc is nectar for scholars because of its completeness, and entertainment for the curious and plain old movie geeks who favor well-made docs. Even those, however, may find the talking heads to be talking too much, a frequent criticism of dense, nerdy documentaries.
Truth is the Only Client is a slice of our American history whose influence might someday be traced even to the emergence of Donald Trump. Imagine that.
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JohnDeSando62@gmail.com
