Political scandal and intrigue has always been fascinating for me. There`s nothing I love more than a good, juicy candidate-bashing or a wonderfully vicious attack on a hypocrite of a politician.
Despite my craving for meaty political flambes, ”Ruby” left a sour taste in my mouth. It was an overt ”JFK” rip-off. It really saddens me to see two such excellent performances as Danny Aiello`s and Sherilyn Fenn`s (as Jack Ruby and his stripper friend Candy Cane) be wasted on such a lame vehicle of a movie.
My main problem with this flick was the absence of character development in Jack Ruby. We never got to see Ruby`s motivation for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, nor was his connection with the Mafia ever fully explained. Fenn was the bright point in this movie, as a sweet and ambitious girl who goes from Rising Star, Texas to the inner circle of Camelot. I give ”Ruby” (STAR)
(STAR) 1/2 simply on the merit of its two leading performances.
P.S. I`d like to award a thump on the head to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for denying the most thought-provoking movie of the year, ”JFK”, its rightful best picture Oscar. It is sad when the last cultural bastion in American society starts to be afraid of a little controversy.
