RFK

I have for many years now felt that Robert F Kennedy was the greatest of the 4 Kennedy Brothers. This movie did nothing to change that but did give the view that RFK was very much haunted by the memory of his brother John.

While John was driven mostly by his father's desire to see one of his son's achieve greatness by becoming President of the United States. Robert seems almost reluctant to take up that torch and according to this story does so only when he realizes that the only way he can do the things he believes need to be done for the his country is by winning the Oval Office.

Roache does a marvelous job of looking and sounding like RFK. James Cromwell does a good job as LBJ. He is a fine actor just doesn't seem as over the top as the real LBJ was. David Paymer is his usual best and Ving Rhames is excellent in a somewhat small but important part as "Judge Jones".

The movie takes place between the Assassinations of John and Robert. It shows how Bobby goes from concerned to actually caring.

There's some good 60's music in it but you don't notice it a lot.

I'm writing this on Aug 25, 2002. The movie will be re-run next Wed. It's worth your time. At a time when we last had two men who were most interested in being President regardless of whether or not he'd won the election....this movie will make you wonder why we can't have men and women of great ideals and political courage today. Yes my friends there truly was a time when if someone was running for office and said he intended to help poor people he meant it and was held to his promise. If you know little about Robert Kennedy then prepare to be impressed by a great man.

As someone who grew up in the 1960s, remembers Robert F. Kennedy and admires the things he stood for, I looked forward to FX's "RFK" only to be thoroughly disappointed. While the lead actor was acceptable in his portrayal, the script itself was disappointing and shallow. It may be asking too much to expect a two-hour production (minus commercials) to do justice to the life of an extraordinary man. But if someone attempts to do precisely that, he needs to narrow his focus better. None of the major events received the in-depth attention they deserved, and some important events were overlooked entirely. Kennedy's speech to the Democratic National Convention less than a year after his brother's assassination was a poignant and extremely significant moment in his life and career, yet it received no attention in the film. With JFK's ghostly presence occupying such an important role in the film, shouldn't this event have been included -- even if it meant deleting an obviously fictitious event, like the scene in which Bobby leaps into the water to rescue his brother's jacket? Young viewers who want to learn more about this great American should not waste their time watching this film. There are better options out there!

A whole lot better than most made-for-TV projects. This bio-pic focuses on the life of Robert Kennedy as Senator and Presidential candidate. The story line covers a time span from the 1963 assassination of brother President John F. Kennedy to RFK's own assassination by a mad gunman on the 1968 Presidential campaign trail. The old newsreel footage and current footage could have been blended a lot better. The whole presentation is pretty bland compared to the high energy JFK by Oliver Stone. Linus Roache worked hard on getting down Bobby's mannerisms, but falls short on duplicating that Kennedy accent. James Cromwell does a remarkable portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson. Also in the cast are: Ving Rhames, Sergio Di Zio and Marnie McPhail. Not so impressive is the numberous scenes of Robert talking to the ghost of his dead brother John played poorly by Martin Donovan. The essence of RFK's vision for a new and better America is there. Politically inclined or not, it is worth your while to watch this version of history.

I recall some of my college instructors speaking of being in the south during the civil rights marches to end segregation. They were very involved in the politics of the day. Of Robert F. Kennedy, I remember they told of his evolving after the death of his brother -- changing from a young, but somewhat out-of-touch, bureaucrat, to growing to be a more thoughtful, people-oriented observer -- evolving from an unquestioning hawk on international interventions, to being a leader mindful of sending young Americans to far away lands to kill and be killed.

This TV movie, RFK, did fairly well in capturing Robert Kennedy's political evolution. The lead actor playing RFK looks remarkably like the real RFK -- specially when lit by a single hard light.

Unfortunately, the final product was all too obviously a "made for TV" production. The background music was unremarkable. The editing-in of old footage to new footage was all too easy to spot. This RFK film is as bland as Oliver Stone's JFK is bold.

With such lifeless story telling, the supporting actors had little chance to bring any dimension to their roles. When real-life characters are given little depth, it is better to let unknown actors portray them.

The script is too often self-aware, too often knowing of what is coming ahead. At one point Robert Kennedy is seen giving a speech and as he speaks, he refers to himself in the past tense... "My favorite poet WAS..." not IS.

Last, the script gives us RFK: the son, and RFK: the brother, but no time is given to deeply explore RFK: the father. The number of children Robert Kennedy fathered was extraordinary. His home life must have been very interesting. I am sure there will be a new telling of the RFK story before long.

After using IMDb for over 7 years, this is my first comment... I'm a huge RFK fan (even though I'm only 25). I think he's the greatest democrat of the last century, and the world would be a vastly different place had his life not been abruptly ended.

That said, I thought this movie was horrible. There were a few good moments, but overall it was terrible. It portrayed RFK as someone who hallucinated about his brother all the time, and as someone who needed to be pressured into doing the right thing.

The man gave some of the greatest speeches ever written, and the actor did not do most of those speeches justice. If you really want to know who RFK was, I'd suggest watching documentaries on the history channel. The real footage is so much better than this movie, and its more entertaining.