Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting speculation, August 2, 2000
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than I expected...but leaves room for improvement, October 17, 2009
"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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
An addition to the intrigue, July 1, 2003
In "Ruby", veteran actor Danny Aiello does a superb job of portraying the man who will forever be remembered for silencing the accused assassin of President Kennedy.
Aiello almost makes a better Jack Ruby than Jack Ruby himself.
Aiello gives a memorable performance and gives valuable insight as to why Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald. Hint: It wasnt why the Warren Commission said he did. There were much more conspiratorial and sinister reasons.
This movie will certainly add to the intrigue of the JFK Assassination conspiracy.
It paints Ruby as somewhat of a patsy himself, like Lee Oswald was.
Sherilyn Fenn does a great job as "Candy Cane" one of Ruby's strippers.
You really feel for Ruby and Cane at the end of this movie.
This movie also has a very stunning scene of the JFK Assassination, and it was filmed in Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was killed.
If you are interested in the JFK assassination, the Mafia's vendetta against Castro, or the corruption of the Dallas Police at the time of the JFK murder, you will find this movie very interesting.
I hope you enjoy it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
DVD ~ Ray Liotta
DVD ~ Sirhan Sirhan
DVD ~ Jack Nicholson
DVD ~ Matthew White
DVD ~ Hilary Minster
on 
