This week’s media cycle was dominated by the Donald Trump assassination attempt. Numerous theories have cropped up about the gunman, the failure of the Secret Service to adequately protect Trump, and just about any other detail related to the event. It’s as good a time as any to revisit some of the best movies and TV shows about assassinations, the people who try to stop them, and the conspiracies surrounding these events. Here’s our curated playlist for your weekend watch.

Friday Evening

Movie - In The Line of Fire (1993) on Sony LIV

Get your heart racing with a slick '90s thriller which references the most famous assassination of all time. Clint Eastwood is perfect as an ageing Secret Service bodyguard who gets a shot at redemption 30 years after failing to save John F Kennedy. Watch it for John Malkovich’s unhinged turn as a CIA-trained killer who turns on his masters.

Duration - 128 minutes

Friday Night + Saturday Morning

Show - Manhunt (2024) on Apple TV+

Follow it up with Manhunt, a pulpy retelling of the nationwide search for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of the Abraham Lincoln assassination. Based on The New York Times bestseller, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, the show follows Tobias Menzies as Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War, who spearheaded the hunt for Booth.

Duration - 358 minutes (7 episodes)

Saturday Afternoon

Documentary - JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass (2021) on ZEE5

Let’s step away from fiction and dramatised versions, and look at some cold hard facts. Oliver Stone revisits the scene of the crime 30 years after his masterpiece JFK. Based on the book, Destiny Betrayed: JFK, Cuba, and the Garrison Case, and on newly declassified evidence, this documentary is a must-watch for conspiracy buffs casting doubt on the ‘single bullet’ theory and disputing the timeline of Lee Harvey Oswald’s movements after his alleged involvement in the assassination.

Duration - 118 minutes

Saturday Night

Movie - JFK (1991) on Prime Video

No watchlist about assassinations or conspiracy theories is complete without JFK, Oliver Stone’s investigative thriller about the Kennedy killing and Jim Garrison’s years-long search for the truth. Kevin Costner is at his finest as a man who comes to the brink of losing everything, including his family, in an obsessive quest for elusive answers. JFK was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.

Duration - 188 minutes

Sunday Morning

Movie - Hey Ram (2000) on JioCinema (Hindi/Tamil)

Coming closer to home, Hey Ram centred on a disaffected young man in the 1940s, played by Kamal Haasan, who gets involved with anti-Gandhi elements and plots to murder the Mahatma. The project was a labour of love for Kamal Haasan, who wrote and directed it. Featuring the Tamil language debuts of both Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee, Hey Ram is a gripping period thriller which ends on a note of non-violence and peaceful protest.

Duration - 210 minutes

Sunday Afternoon

Movie - Jackie (2016) on Netflix

Let’s switch gears and take a look at the devastating effect of such an event on the survivors. Pablo Larraín’s moving portrait of Jacqueline 'Jackie’ Kennedy premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was critically lauded, especially for Natalie Portman’s performance in the titular role. An intimate look at the life of Jackie in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination, the film received three Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design.

Duration - 100 minutes

Sunday Night

Movie - Bodyguard (2011) on Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema

Close out the weekend with some entertaining desi masala. Bodyguard meets Bollywood in this remake of the smash Malayalam hit of the same name. The movie stars sabka bhaijaan Salman Khan as Lovely Singh, alongside Kareena Kapoor as Divya. Salman gets to flex his comedic and romantic chops in an action-packed reworking of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, resulting in the highest opening of all time for an Indian movie.

Duration - 131 minutes

If this playlist has whetted your appetite for assassination-related content, you can also try the Netflix miniseries Bodyguard, the Mark Wahlberg thriller Shooter on JioCinema, the first season of 24 on Disney+ Hotstar, Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se on Disney+ Hotstar and Prime Video, and the 10-part podcast Who Killed JFK? available on all audio platforms.

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