Ruby (1992 film)

''Ruby'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by John Mackenzie, centered on Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald—the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy—in the basement garage of a Dallas police station in 1963. The film stars Danny Aiello as Ruby, Sherilyn Fenn as Sheryl Ann DuJean (also known as Candy Cane), and Arliss Howard. It is based on a play by British screenwriter Stephen Davis. ''Ruby'' was released in the United States three months after the premiere of Oliver Stone's film ''JFK''.

Plot

The film opens with Jack Ruby reflecting on his past, describing it as a dream, unsure if it really happened. The film then cuts to a disturbing image: a man in a suit has been tortured, hung on a meat hook, and drained of blood — a brutal warning to someone.

In 1962 Dallas, Ruby runs the struggling Carousel Club, a burlesque venue. He watches an uninspired performance by an aging dancer, Telephone Trixie, and laments the club's decline. Later that night, he meets two corrupt Dallas police officers to deliver narcotics. Elsewhere, a young blond woman named Sheryl Ann DuJean is seen covering a facial bruise, suggesting domestic abuse.

Later, Ruby finds Sheryl Ann alone in a diner near the bus station. Sensing her desperation, he offers her food and a place to stay, making clear that it's not a sexual advance. She accepts and moves into the apartment above the Carousel Club. The next day, Ruby talks to Diego, his Cuban exile bartender, about the club's grim prospects. When a scheduled dancer cancels, Sheryl Ann volunteers to perform. Though skeptical, Ruby gives her a chance. Adopting the name "Candy Cane," she stuns the crowd with a bold and skilled routine. Ruby realizes she's no novice and that she may revitalize the club. A friendship based on mutual honesty begins to form between them.

Soon, Ruby is approached by his old mob associate, Louie Vitali, who wants him to take over a secret job in Cuba, originally assigned to the murdered man seen at the beginning. Ruby invites Candy along and they travel to Havana. Officially, the job is to break Santos out. But in private, Vitali tells Ruby that he's meant to kill Santos using a disguised pistol-camera. Instead, Ruby kills Vitali and bribes guards to free Santos. Ruby, Santos, and Candy escape Cuba by boat and arrive in New Orleans, where Ruby gets new identity papers for Santos from his old contact, David Ferrie. Candy and Ruby return to Dallas; Santos goes his own way.

Back at the club, Candy becomes the main attraction, and business improves. When her abusive husband Hank appears after a show, Ruby beats him and warns him off. Soon after, a mysterious man named Maxwell visits Ruby at the closed club. Implying government ties, Maxwell demands that Ruby start informing on Santos and his associates, giving him a tape recorder. Ruby suspects Maxwell is CIA, and though Maxwell neither confirms nor denies it, the pressure is real.

Ruby and Candy travel to Las Vegas, where Santos has opened a casino. At a lavish gala, President John F. Kennedy arrives by helicopter. Candy sits at the President's table with Ferrie, while Ruby records mobsters — including Santos — discussing a plan to smuggle explosive cigars to Fidel Castro. Later, Maxwell meets Ruby outside the city and hints at a more important target, possibly another assassination.

The next day, Candy tells Ruby she's been offered a singing contract backed by powerful figures, and she'll be staying in Vegas. Ruby returns to Dallas alone and begins training with firearms. Meanwhile, Ferrie and Diego travel to New Orleans and approach Lee Harvey Oswald about joining a job.

Back in Dallas, Ruby meets with mobsters Santos and Sam Giancana, who inform him the Castro plan is off — something bigger has come up. After Ruby leaves, Giancana speaks with Maxwell.

Candy returns unexpectedly, revealing she abandoned the Vegas job, feeling used. Ruby suspects a conspiracy between the CIA and the mob. His boss, Proby, advises him to drop it. On November 22, 1963, JFK is assassinated in Dallas. The film shows Diego firing from the Texas School Book Depository with Oswald acting as his handler, and a second team firing the fatal shot from the grassy knoll.

Ruby watches the aftermath on TV. When Ferrie visits the club, he warns Ruby to stay silent, calling him a small-time hood. But Ruby decides to act. The next day, he fatally shoots Oswald during a police transfer.

In jail, Ruby refuses to plead insanity or explain himself, insisting he be brought to Washington to testify. At his trial, he sees Maxwell watching. Convicted and sentenced to death, Ruby continues demanding to testify, but is ignored. Candy visits him in prison, but he tells her to disappear for her own safety. He believes he's being slowly poisoned through forced injections. Ruby dies of cancer in jail in 1967 — his request to testify before Congress never granted.

Cast

* Danny Aiello as Jack Ruby
* Sherilyn Fenn as Sheryl Ann DuJean (Candy Cane)
* Tobin Bell as David Ferrie
* Joseph Cortese as Louis Vitali
* Arliss Howard as Maxwell
* Richard C. Sarafian as Proby
* Leonard Termo as Tony Ana
* David Duchovny as J. D. Tippit
* Carmine Caridi as Sam Giancana
* Marc Lawrence as Santos Alicante
* Joe Viterelli as Joseph Valachi
* John Roselius as Detective Smalls
* Willie Garson as Lee Harvey Oswald

Reception

''Ruby'' was not a financial success at the box office, perhaps overshadowed by the release of ''JFK'' previously. The film was released to mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 45% rating based reviews from 11 critics.

Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film two out of four stars, commending Aiello's performance and ability to create a tortured and well-meaning character, but criticizing an overall lack of historical accuracy, which he felt affected the pace of the film.

Vincent Canby of ''The New York Times'' wrote "As crazy as it is, though, "Ruby" is almost rudely entertaining."

The film grossed $919,286 in the United States and Canada. It grossed £115,698 ($184,000) in the United Kingdom.

See also

* Assassination of John F. Kennedy in popular culture

References

External links

*

''Ruby''
at AllMovie

{{John Mackenzie

1992 films
American biographical drama films
American independent films
Films about the assassination of John F. Kennedy
Films set in Texas
Films shot in Texas
1990s biographical drama films
1992 crime drama films
British biographical drama films
British independent films
Japanese biographical films
Japanese independent films
American crime drama films
Films produced by Steve Golin
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films
Films directed by John Mackenzie (film director)
Films scored by John Scott (composer)
Cultural depictions of Jack Ruby
Cultural depictions of Lee Harvey Oswald
Cultural depictions of Sam Giancana
1992 independent films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films
1990s British films
1990s Japanese films
English-language biographical drama films
English-language independent films
English-language crime drama films