Movie review: ‘Parkland’

On November 22, 1963, a devastating event shook the nation, all of it supported by a widespread interest in television news broadcasting at the time. Since then, tastes have changed and audiences prefer their dramatic historical information presented to them through film adaptations with Zac Efron.

“Parkland” is a re-creation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, starting startlingly quickly with the attack on his motorcade in Dallas, Texas, shot famously on a home-movie camera by Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti), shot famously by gunman Lee Harvey Oswald (Jeremy Strong). He was taken to Parkland Hospital, where he was treated by Dr. Jim Carrico (Zac Efron), to no avail.

Taking numerous storylines at one time, from the viewpoints of multiple individuals in its ensemble of mostly B-list actors, “Parkland” finds an interesting perspective. Abraham is taken to develop his film by Secret Service Agent Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton), Dr. Jim Carrico and staff manage the mourning scene at Parkland Hospital, more Secret Service agents handle the transportation of Kennedy’s coffin onto Air Force One, FBI Agent James Hosty (Ron Livingston) uncovers clues as to Lee’s identity and Lee’s brother (James Badge Dale) tries to handle his family’s newfound infamy.

The tension of moments surrounding the death of one of the most important men in the world is played well by the overpopulated cast, namely Efron and Giamatti, who are fortunately given the most to work with. As an unlucky doctor and innocent civilian, respectively, caught in the most miserable times of their lives, each seizes the opportunity to display the emotion of a plight that the entirety of the country felt at the time.

It’s a lot to handle at once, a constantly shifting frame that grants a lot of perspectives to a historic event discussed and investigated time and time again in documentaries and biopics. Most of the takes’ content appears original, or at least rarely covered enough to be fresh.

The look into the actions of more casual civilians around the city of Dallas after the shooting portray a more personalized plotline than the frequently government-laden stories. However, adding on the more up-close-and-personal agents’ narratives that day add a humanizing, often realistic layer.

The rapid pace has its faults, though. The obscurity of some plot points bring to question of why they were chosen to be depicted in the relatively short 90-minutes feature. It seems like a waste, only resulting in uneven storytelling throughout what could have been a fascinatingly dramatic look into the moments after an American icon’s life.

Instead, shoddy editing and a troubling pace lead to a film of several exciting moments condensed down to a boring compilation of less than important events. All director Peter Landesman really aims for is resolution, which he doesn’t entirely achieve. Each storyline ends on a short of note, though they aren’t necessarily satisfying notes, only historically accurate notes.

About half of the film’s messy script focuses on Lee, subtlety shaving his identity and mystery before finally showcasing him to the audience. The dark tone easily made by the sorrow of governmental agents and officials who knew Kennedy is quickly swallowed by the odd mannerisms and personalities of Lee and his mother (Jacki Weaver).

“Parkland” is often confused with what to do in situations like this, where interesting characters and suspenseful plotlines cross to create uncomfortable transitions. It isn’t an unoriginal take on the controversial occasion by any means, but it also isn’t an organized take, leaving much of the chaos’s true nature and effect to be desired by an audience still clinging for direction, 50 years later.