Executive Action: "They want to believe it; they have to"
the true crime that's worth your time
Is 1973's conspirator-POV thriller about the JFK assassination more interesting to think about than to watch?
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The crime
You know this one.
The story
Another film I stumbled over thanks to Exhibit B. inventory, 1973's Executive Action came out to unenthusiastic reviews (as well as a bit of controversy; major-market NBC affiliates declined to air ad spots for the film, deeming them "too violent").
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNTBXOkLsaY
It's based on a novel, also from 1973, by Donald Freed and Mark Lane – yes, "that one" – who also get story credits on the film, but the version of Executive Action audiences saw is from a Dalton Trumbo screenplay. Trumbo, it seems, felt less strongly about centering the story on the complicity of the CIA than Freed and Lane did, but complying in advance didn't protect the project from security concerns during shooting…