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JFK: The Smoking Gun

  • TV Movie
  • 2013
  • Not Rated
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
900
YOUR RATING
JFK: The Smoking Gun (2013)
CrimeDocumentaryHistory

Australian detective Colin McLaren investigates the JFK assassination using ballistics expert Howard Donahue's evidence of a second shooter in Dealey Plaza.Australian detective Colin McLaren investigates the JFK assassination using ballistics expert Howard Donahue's evidence of a second shooter in Dealey Plaza.Australian detective Colin McLaren investigates the JFK assassination using ballistics expert Howard Donahue's evidence of a second shooter in Dealey Plaza.

  • Director
    • Malcolm Mcdonald
  • Writers
    • Steve Lucas
    • Colin McLaren
  • Stars
    • Alex Ivanovici
    • Howard Donahue
    • Colin McLaren
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    900
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Malcolm Mcdonald
    • Writers
      • Steve Lucas
      • Colin McLaren
    • Stars
      • Alex Ivanovici
      • Howard Donahue
      • Colin McLaren
    • 32User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos10

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    Top Cast33

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    Alex Ivanovici
    Alex Ivanovici
    • Self - Narrator
    Howard Donahue
    • Self - Ballistics Expert
    • (archive footage)
    Colin McLaren
    Colin McLaren
    • Self - Veteran Detective
    Colleen Lorenzen
    • Self - Daughter of Howard Donahue
    Bonar Menninger
    • Self - Journalist & Author
    John Connally
    John Connally
    • Self - Governor, Texas
    • (archive footage)
    Ralph Yarborough
    • Self - Senator, Tecas
    • (archive footage)
    Wyatt Bowen
    Wyatt Bowen
    • Jerrol Custer
    Shawn Campbell
    Shawn Campbell
    • Agent James Sibert
    Larry Day
    Larry Day
    • Senator Ralph Yarborough
    Peter Michael Dillon
    Peter Michael Dillon
    • Earl Brown
    Tod Fennell
    Tod Fennell
    • Hugh Betzner
    Raphael Grosz-Harvey
    Raphael Grosz-Harvey
    • Floyd Reibe
    Stephanie Halin
    Stephanie Halin
    • Jean Hill
    Trevor Hayes
    • Agent George Hickey
    Michael Hearn
    Michael Hearn
    • Howard Donahue
    Mistaya Hemingway
    • Jacqueline Kennedy
    Arthur Holden
    Arthur Holden
    • Dr. John Ebersole
    • Director
      • Malcolm Mcdonald
    • Writers
      • Steve Lucas
      • Colin McLaren
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews32

    7.3900
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    Featured reviews

    jpenera

    Accidental? Don't buy it for a moment!

    I watched the documentary JFK: THE SMOKING GUN and it was very disturbing. Yes, it was compelling and convincing that the bullet that explored JFK's head was from a different weapon other than the rifle LHO supposedly used. It was also very compelling that one of the secret agents in the car immediately following JFK fired that lethal shot. But to further say and conclude that the agent, George Hickey, did so "accidentally" is silly and an insult to normal intelligence. In that same show it was revealed that Robert Kennedy asked the agents, "Did you kill my brother?" Even RFK himself sensed this was an "inside" job.

    McLaren's teary eyed and choking statement at the end that this really was a "tragic accident" was, to me, contrived and phony.

    What was the premise and goal of this documentary? It only raised more questions than to put "closure" on the matter. If it attempted to shut out all conspiracy theories it failed. In fact it opened it up all the more.

    One thing is obvious. If the project or action to assassinate JFK was to "kill" him, it blatantly failed. JFK is much more alive now than ever. That bullet in Dallas did not terminate him, on the contrary, it immortalized him, made him "eternal".
    10mr-strix-1

    At last the truth comes forth

    I have seen a lot of documentaries on the subject, but this one definitely gives the most likely explanation for the "murder". Everything that is presented in the this documentary can be checked against facts and the balistic reports is spotless. The conclusion marks is likely what happen on that day more than 50 years ago.
    10dbrayshaw

    Very believable

    Of all the theories that have come and gone through the years, this film is the most believable. In fact, I think it is as accurate an account as one will find. Surely, if Oswald's first shot had not gained the notice of George Hickey and set him to retrieve the AR15 on the back floor inside the car where he sat behind JFK's limo; had he not taken the safety off, and was not forced backwards by the movement of the vehicle, Oswald would have surely sent another bullet into JFK that may or may not have killed him; but, unfortunately, it was Hickey's truly hapless accident that blew out the skull of the President with an explosive round of ammo, not the sort of bullet that penetrates through the target as Oswald used.

    Plus, with all the loss of evidence by the huge number of Secret Servicemen around the autopsy process, with numerous of them making demands for photographic film, the President's brain, and even insisting that a piece of metal be attached to an xray, the weight of evidence against the SS in conspiring to cover-up their involvement is abundantly staggering.

    Why would the SS not want the real truth to be known? First of all, they had a suspect, Oswald, that could be held as the culprit in all three shots; and secondly, they feared for their jobs. A huge investigation regarding the competency of that service would have taken decades to complete. After all, there weren't any computers in those days to help sort out all that information, as the Warren Commission discovered when they tried to assimilate what they could of all the testimonies into their half-baked conclusion. Stacks of information were never touched, especially that which indicated by bystanders the smell of gunpowder at street level.

    Finally, I know the truth. I recall the day it happened, and the week following. The entire nation was in mourning. My grandmother, who was staying at our house while Mom was in the hospital, had all four of us kids sit quietly in front of the TV as if we were in a funeral parlor, while she sobbed. It was like losing a member of the family to us. I did grow to greatly respect JFK over the next couple decades after I read his book, watched PT109, and learned about the Cuban missile crisis.

    He was a good man who suffered terribly with Addison's disease and did the best he could for our country. What a solemn spot his grave site is, in dedication to an American, who, despite his challenges, faced them well.
    4dspear-624-498766

    Ridiculous Theory

    So after Oswald fired his first shot, Hickey identified that JFK was shot, looked up at the 6th floor, reached down for the AR-15, lifted it from his car floor, released the safety, turned the rifle toward JFK rather than the 6th floor, and accidentally shoots JFK.

    And he does all this in under 6 seconds! Yeah, right.

    The movie also doesn't talk about the type of bullet the AR-15 fires and if there is any indication of that bullet entering the back of JFK's head at the proper angle. This theory is so bad that I suspect it is a deliberate fake that can be proven wrong. I'm sure the assassination was a conspiracy, but not this.
    10cekadah

    The most believable to date!

    This came to mind at end - Occam's razor!

    "The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct."

    What a fine and technical presentation of detective Colin McLaren 25 year quest into the JFK Dallas incident. I suggest to anyone who decides to watch this film to pay close attention to the details put before you. The trajectory math and eyewitness accounts of that day bring forth (in my opinion) the most believable recreation of what actually happened.

    I've read many other JFK assassination theories and this one is the biggest eye opener.

    Please watch this movie!

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
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    History

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most, if not all, of the dramatization supporting cast have also been the supporting cast in "I'm Not There," "Warm Bodies," "The Bone Collector," and "White House Down." This is because all of these films were shot in Canada.
    • Goofs
      While multiple witnesses claimed to have seen the Secret Service Agent with a Machine Gun or Submachine Gun, it is later identified as an AR 15. The experts incorrectly referred to it as an Assault Rifle. Assault Rifles are a specific type of rifle capable of selection between single, automatic, or burst fire. The AR 15 is Semiautomatic which is one bullet fired for each pull of the trigger.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 444: Oldboy (2013)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 16, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Джон Кеннеди: Пороховой дым
    • Filming locations
      • Montréal, Québec, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Muse Entertainment Enterprises
      • Cordell Jigsaw Productions
      • Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h(120 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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