7 Essential Oliver Stone Movies
by Gary Susman
In recent years, Oliver Stone's movies have had a problem that they never had during his heyday: they became safe. In honor of "JFK" turning 25, let's go back and watch these essential Stone films to see why he made us care in the first place.
'Salvador' (1986)
An overlooked gem, Stone's early political drama focused on American foreign policy blowback in El Salvador, as seen through the eyes of a hotshot American journalist (James Woods) and his gonzo pal (Jim Belushi, never better). Stone's hurtling, bravura style transforms a topic that could be spinach-y into a thrilling, tragic adventure.
'Platoon' (1986)
Drawing on his own Vietnam experience, Stone produced what was widely viewed as the first Vietnam War movie to present a realistic, grunt's-eye view of what the fighting felt like. It won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars, made a star of Charlie Sheen, and launched a wave of introspective Vietnam movies, including two more from Stone himself.
'Wall Street' (1987)
Stone's most popular film is the definitive document of the junk bond era, on the eve of the 1987 crash. The film make the financial shenanigans of the leveraged buyout era not only comprehensible but entertaining. Michael Douglas won an Oscar for playing Gordon "Greed... is good" Gekko and became a hero to a generation of Wall Streeters who took the wrong message from the movie.
'The Doors' (1991)
In his second film released in 1991, Stone takes the whole hallucinogenic vibe way too seriously, but he still manages to get an incandescent performance from Val Kilmer, whose incarnation of Jim Morrison is uncanny.
'JFK' (1991)
As history, it's questionable, but as filmmaking, Stone's journey through the fever swamp of JFK assassination conspiracy theories is urgent, gripping, and exciting as hell. There's an all-star cast of crazies, weirdos, and dark oracles -- notably, a wigged-out Joe Pesci, an oily Tommy Lee Jones, and a world-weary Donald Sutherland. Stone is clever enough to put someone as stolid and grounded as Kevin Costner at the center. Who else could make paranoia seem so reasonable?
'Natural Born Killers' (1994)
Stone's most controversial movie is this bloody satire. It is less a condemnation of the brutal violence wreaked by the thrill-kill couple at the center of the film (played by a terrifying Woohdy Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) than of the media exploiting their rampage for ratings and profit (represented by Robert Downey Jr.'s tabloid-TV reporter). That's a subtle distinction that was lost on viewers and critics who felt Stone was glorifying homicide. Love it or hate it, you'll be awed by Stone's ferocious, hallucinatory nightmare style.
'Any Given Sunday' (1999)
After a decade and a half of taking on big ideas, Stone's bringing his formidable gifts to bear on pro football seems like an extravagant use of firepower. Still, his exposé makes the material rise to the epic level of his outrage, thanks in no small part to an all-star cast of heavy hitters, including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, and (in one of his first major dramatic roles) Jamie Foxx.
