The assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was, is and will always be a matter of controversy and conspiracy theories, to such an extent that, when the real truth comes out, nobody will believe it. Hell, the same would happen if the real Jesus Christ suddenly shows up. But every now and then a new explanation for the murder is unearthed and we have to listen to it and make our own conclusions. “I Shot JFK: The Shocking Truth” gives us another twist, and a very detailed and eye-opening account of what might had happened that Friday on November 22, 1963.

Directed by Robert Kiviat, the documentary entirely focuses on James Sutton, aka James Files, who at the time when the interviews were conducted, was serving time in a prison (Stateville Correctional Center, Crest Hill, Illinois) for attempted murder of a cop – he explains this in detail during the film. He mentions that he was born in Alabama, and that his birth certificate indicates that he was “deceased at birth.” He goes on to explain in the detail his involvement in JFK’s assassination. He says that the original plot was supposed to take place in Chicago, but was changed, and that he arrived to Dallas, Texas, a week before, to study the area and landscape. He also discusses the involvement of a series of individuals in planning the murder, particularly elements from the Italian mob, including Johnny Roselli, Charles Nicoletti, and Sam Giancana, all of them assassinated later. Sutton also claims that David Atlee Phillip, former CIA chief of Latin American operations, was also an important part of the plan. He also talks about Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald, and that he actually spent a considerable amount of time with Oswald, who he maintains did not shoot JFK, as it was proven by the so-called paraffin test. He also explains, step by step, how he shot the last bullet (only one), which is the one that made JFK move backwards, as he was standing behind a fence at Dealey Plaza, and that he used a Remington Fireball XP-100, at the time the “most accurate weapon in the world.” Of course, he is also asked about the reasons to participate in the murder.

I have to confess that I was really impressed by Sutton’s arguments. Good research is necessary to prove his claims. In fact, he indicated that Joe West, a Houston private investigator, requested the exhumation of JFK’s body, because he wanted to provide evidence that JFK was killed with a mercury round, special load, because Mercury tends to stay in the body. A file says that the court accepted the request, but West died before it could be done. You be the judge. In addition to “I Shot JFK: The Shocking Truth,” MVD Visual also released the equally engaging “Confessions form the Grassy Knoll” and “Spooks, Hoods & JFK,” which contain more interesting information about the assassination of our 35th president. (USA, 2012, color & BW, 90 min)

Reviewed on 9/28/2013. MVD Visual