Product Details

• Actors: Danny Aiello, Sherilyn Fenn, Arliss Howard, Marc Lawrence, Richard C. Sarafian
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 2, 2003
• Run Time: 111 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000A7W19
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,390 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Ruby" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

The Mafia needed a patsy. The CIA needed a pawn. And the conspiracy needed a killer. They found it all in Jack Ruby, the Dallas strip club owner who murdered President Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, on live television. Stars Danny Aiello.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting speculation, August 2, 2000

By 

Alex (SYRACUSE, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruby [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Aiello gives a superb performance (in a fictionalized speculation) as Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner who is willing to exploit the mob but at the same time be connected to it, and later murders President JFK's assassin. Terrific score, top-knotch supporting cast, but a little too much plot. A must if your interests include the Kennedy murder conspiracy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing character study more than a conspiracy movie, December 18, 2010

By 

Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ruby (DVD)

There are almost as many conspiracy theories about this film as about JFK himself: locations were barred, actors dropped out and it was strongly implied that Oliver Stone and his powerful agent Michael Ovitz put unreasonable pressure on the picture to 'protect' the Kevin Costner film. On its cinema release, the film disappeared quicker than a witness in the Warren Commission - in the UK it barely lasted a week. Yet though it may lack the star power and sweep of Stone's epic, it is still a worthwhile and intriguing film.

Unlike most JFK movies, Ruby doesn't bombard you with information or alternatives, but gives a plausible account of events seen through one man's eyes - in this case Jack Ruby, the small-time burlesque club owner and former hit-man who shot Lee Harvey Oswald. Less visually striking (but then overt stylistics were never John MacKenzie's strongpoint) and on a smaller scale as befits its character, to its credit it is more of a character piece than a conspiracy movie, with Aiello's central performance turning what could have been a minor film into a more interesting one.

There are a couple of marvellous moments - Ruby seeking professional advice on how to hit the president of a country (Castro, not Kennedy) and set up a patsy as they pass Deeley Plaza, and the minutes leading up to the assassination when both Ruby and the stripper he has a curiously chaste relationship with suddenly realise what is happening - and a lot of very strong ones. Extremely well-crafted and building to a climax rather than constantly grabbing your attention, it has the feel of the sixties, both in the production design and the very approach of the film. A more controlled, centred film than its dazzling big-budget rival, Ruby may not be a masterpiece but it does deserve to be better known.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than I expected...but leaves room for improvement, October 17, 2009

By 

Christopher K. Halbower "Christopher Halbower" (Muskegon, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruby (DVD)

"Ruby" is John Mackenzie's answer to Oliver Stone's "JFK". Stone dealt with the Jim Garrison case while Mackenzie deals with Jack Ruby and his cohorts.

The movie has decent production values. I was expecting a low budget film. The movie even starts out with a film noir feel. You hear saxophone playing on a dimly lit street. A man is hanging from a hook from a gangland hit. This gives the movie a needed boost in the opening.

Danny Aiello plays that enigmatic assassin Jack Ruby. He's a simple night club owner. He has the several business arrangments with the Dallas Police Department. He's an informant for the FBI. He has ties to Cuban gun runners. If only the real Ruby would stand up...

Ruby meets "Candy Cane" played by Sherilyn Fenn. "Candy Cane" is a composite based in part on "Candy Barr", a notorious exotic dancer and adult performer. Candy Cane shows Ruby's softer side.

The movie shows the title character going to Cuba and getting mixed up with anti-Castro mobsters. An enigmatic figure named "Maxwell" (probably a composite of Maurice Bishop aka David Atlee Phillips) is on the fringes, keeping to the shadows. He seems to know everything about Ruby's business.

The movie gives some interesting meat to chew on. Who was Jack Ruby? What were his motivations? But in the final analysis, these questions go largely unanswered. The creators didn't want to stick their necks out like Oliver Stone did with his magna opus. And this is a fatal flaw.

If more time was spent developing the motivations of Jack Ruby or exploring his ties to organized crime or his ties to the CIA, the movie would garner an extra star from me. If the movie had done all these things, it would have garnered an extra star and a half. This movie is a bit of a let down because it is so close being great.