Feeling nostalgic as of late, I’ve spent the past few weeks going back and watching some of Michael Bay’s best movies. After watching classic action flicks like The Rock and revisiting end-of-the-world disaster films like Armageddon, I’ve noticed a common thread through the divisive director’s filmography. And no, it doesn’t involve Bay’s love of explosions, gritty film filters, or his signature 360-degree shot.
Instead, it involves JFK. That’s right, John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. So, what does a former president who died 30 years before Michael Bay directed his first movie have to do with one of the most stylish directors of the ‘90s? Let me explain…
I First Noticed Michael Bay’s Fixation With The JFK Assassination While Watching The Rock
Revisiting The Rock was a wild, crazy, and all-around enjoyable experience. Nicolas Cage is the perfect amount of over-the-top-ness with his portrayal of Stanley Goodspeed, the late Sean Connery knocks it out of the park with his take on John Mason, and the action is just too good. But I completely forgot about this 1996 box office smash hit’s ending, or at least the final shot of the movie, long after Goodspeed and Mason saved the day.
Before they depart and go their separate ways, Mason tells Goodspeed that if he fancies a journey, he recommends Fort Walton, Kansas, before handing him a note describing the location of a mysterious treasure. And you know what it is? None other than a microfilm revealing who actually killed JFK more than 30 years earlier.
Next, I Noticed The Conspiracy Came Up Again In Armageddon
A few weeks later, I showed Armageddon to my kids and discovered yet another JFK reference in this 1998 disaster flick. In the scene when Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) is going over his crew’s demands before going off into space to save the world by blowing a massive asteroid in two, the lead driller says that in addition to not having to pay taxes after the mission, they also want to know who really killed JFK.
I know, I know, the JFK assassination was all the rage back in the mid-to-late 1990s, but I couldn’t stop laughing as I thought about Michael Bay’s fascination with the “granddaddy of them all” when it comes to conspiracy theories.
And Who Appears In Transformers: Dark of the Moon? You Probably Already Know
Though not the best Transformers movie, 2011’s Dark of the Moon was a fun time and a nice change of pace from its disastrous 2009 predecessor. And you know who shows up in this wild and action-packed summer blockbuster? John F. Kennedy, or at least a digital recreation of the 35th president.
In the opening scenes of the movie, Kennedy, upon learning that a spacecraft from Cybertron crashed on the lunar surface, authorizes a mission to put man on the Moon as a cover operation so they can research the alien ship. Though different than the other two examples above, it was still a fun “ah ha” moment.
Michael Bay Even Made A Super Bowl Commercial Involving JFK
There were a lot of big Super Bowl LIX commercials that caught the world’s attention this year, and one of those was a Secret Service ad directed by none other than Michael Bay. The extended ad, which dives into the history of the Secret Service and everything it has done over the years, features a number of shots of different presidents, including John F. Kennedy. However, this time, it’s less about conspiracies and focuses more on his famous “Don’t ask what your country can do for you” speech and then a shot of his motorcade from the 1960 campaign.
I would love to find out if Michael Bay has a particular interest in John F. Kennedy or if this is just some random series of occurrences. Until then, I guess I’ll keep watching his movies…