Patriots Day

Patriots Day is a 2016 American action thriller film about the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 and the subsequent terrorist manhunt. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, and Alex Wolff.I’ll just start with a full disclosure:I had extremely low expectations for this movie after reading its description and seeing the release poster for it - but I was pleasantly surprised!After having read through some of the other criticisms made for it I can see why they are offered; alternatively, there are some distinctive creative choices made in narration that the production team for this film are rather open about, and I think ‘Patriot’s Day’ further justifies the nature in which I enjoy films - which is followed up with research and hardly ever just at face value.----When I saw the poster for this film I groaned for two reasons specifically:1) I was fully prepared for the pedestalization of one hero in the wake of an event that has been declared one of the worst terrorist related acts since 9/11&2) Marky Mark knows how to rub me in all of the wrong ways.In regards to the first point the most obvious critique offered is this: there’s just no way that the character Wahlberg is portraying (Tommy) played as much of a role in the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing as he does in this film.GUESS WHAT???? He doesn't!!!!Tommy Saunders, for all intents and purposes, as a character is a fictional creation; It’s not made clear throughout the course of this film (obviously), but he’s meant to be a compositary representation of the efforts put forth by a large amount of police officers that were involved in this particular investigation. This does make him to be a ‘Houdini’ of sorts in that his appearance and the weight he has in certain scenes doesn’t always make logical sense, but I acknowledge this as a practical choice as someone that doesn’t like watching movies that have a bunch of characters I’m expected to keep up with.Now, I don’t have any personal beef of my own with Mark Wahlberg, but his performances tend to be very hit-or-miss for me in all honesty. His intensity often comes off to me as arrogance (which, I mean, could be related to the characters he plays) and as a caricature of someone that is perpetually plagued with the threat of emasculation hanging over their head.With that in mind - I feel given Wahlberg’s reputation he was favorably restrained more in some respect in this role than he has been in others. There’s a genuine anger about Saunders (as to be expected) that simmers and seeps, but this is managed with a level-headedness I don’t often find myself associating with his characters. At one point his character starts to cry and it feels like a true reflection of the love Wahlberg has for his hometown (Boston) and perhaps his own grief associated with the actual bombing itself. He might not have been my first choice from the pool of actors that are from Boston (*𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉* 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒚 𝑨𝒇𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒌 *𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉*) but I’m more than willing to admit that for this film specifically he may have been the right one.In the grand scheme of things the entire cast carries their separate roles with a graceful ferocity, but I think one person in particular needs to be acknowledged: Alex Wolff.I don’t think Wolff performs exponentially better than his co-stars, but I think it’s worth mentioning that he looks so much like the bomber he was portraying that he 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆; it only goes without saying that this resemblance has been a significant source of stress for him (even if briefly at times) and he reported having an incredibly difficult time getting in to the “head-space” needed to properly take-on this role. This emotional weight is heavier than what I think could possibly be put into words, and explicitly expressing my appreciation for his presence and efforts feels almost mandatory on my part.Alluding to terrorism as a subject in media of any form requires a certain amount of finesse that is often un-accounted for; that said - I deliberately braced myself for what I thought was going to be a saturation of Islamphobia.‘Patriot’s Day’ is careful to illustrate scenes in which suspicions are made about the individuals carrying out this event, but it is even more meticulous in how it openly confronts these biases without feeling contrived or forced. Characters have dialogue that is intended to challenge assertions rooted in prejudice (“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒚𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑱𝒊𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆? 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒆?”) and there is a clear omission of elements that could be labeled inherently derogatory in nature. The icing on the cake is when audience members are told after the fact in a definitive manner that the people who carried out the Boston Marathon bombing don’t reaffirm narratives connected to harmful and wildly inaccurate stereotypes.All compliments aside I will note that the final 40 minutes of this film does feel a bit sloppy in its execution; more specifically, the change in pace inches on the edge of uncomfortably abrupt. On one hand this makes a lot of sense given the fact that the first half is defined by an understandable tension that would only naturally occur during the investigation and initial stages of pursuit following such a catastrophic event. On the other hand this does make ‘Patriot’s Day’ behave like a train that is having a particularly difficult time coming to a complete stop without spreading itself thin. Nevertheless, it is successful in ending on a note that is optimistically sound and appropriately ambivalent.In regards to portrayal of the victims and their subsequent family members it is also important to know that ‘Patriot’s Day’ is both accurate and respectful in how the representation of these figures is handled. Images that are graphic in nature are not shied away from, but they are not featured in a way that I would describe as emotionally manipulative or carelessly insensitive. There are many characters that were written with the intention of having more screen time in the initial script, but there roles were changed after the fact at the request of their real-life counterparts.Is this movie perfect? Absolutely not, as there are problematic sequences that bubble under the surface in addition to pace-related challenges that are difficult and at times even impossible to ignore.Regardless, 'Patriot's Day' is one of the better - perhaps even one of the best - attempts at intermingling nonfiction and fictional elements I have seen in a particularly long time.I would recommend!

I've lived outside of Boston for my entire life, I worked in Belmont, Watertown, and Arlington. It's beautiful to watch humans come together to stop these psychopaths.

I really wanted to give this movie a higher score, but I just cannot. It depicts a horrible event carried out by the most despicable people, but the director just never quite connected with the audience. It comes across as a cheerleading session more than a historical drama, largely due to the over the top “Boston Strong” theme.Everything about the story is told well. The introduction of the characters. The humanization of the characters. The setting of the movie itself. All of that is done well. But Hollywood just couldn’t resist making this an expose on “See, Americans are tolerant” or “Look at how well we all came together”. It just got a little too much at times, particularly the ending.The shootout scene is gratuitous and over played. The feigned public cooperation with law enforcement when Hollywood constantly vilifies law enforcement was almost unbelievable. It was as if the director was atoning for decades of vilifying the police when terrorism was at play. This movie pulls at patriotic heart strings because if the cause is terrorism it is OK to cast the police in a good light when Hollywood normally hates law enforcement.The acting is mediocre. The writing is non-existent and merely taken from the news. The directing wasn’t bad nor was it good. I really wanted to like this movie. They had a chance to capitalize on a patriotic theme and they still came across as lecturing us.

This is a great movie. It is the story of the Boston Marathon Bombing. It is very detailed about the bombers and the victims of the bombing. It little hard to watch in spots but is well done.

Last weekend, I watched “Patriots Day” for the first time. This was one of my most eagerly anticipated movies of the past year, and it did not disappoint. It is an outstanding film, with wonderful performances from its all-star cast, a tense, taut, story, and thrilling action sequences.“Patriots Day” tells the true story of the Boston Marathon bombing, the terrorist attack that took place on Patriots Day, 2013. Two brothers born in Russia, both violent radical extremists, planted pressure cooker bombs among spectators near the crowded Boston Marathon finish line. When the bombs exploded, they killed three spectators outright and caused critical life-threatening injuries to nearly 300 others who were watching the race. The terrorists also murdered a police officer later that night.Directed and co-written by Peter Berg, “Patriots Day” includes among its stars Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, and Melissa Benoist. Wahlberg portrays a Boston police officer, and his performance is simply terrific. The chilling performances of Wolff and Melikidze, who play the terrorist brothers, and Benoist, who portrays the spouse of one of the bombers, are also particularly praiseworthy.“Patriots Day” is presented in a documentary style that quietly and perfectly builds tension during its first hour. The scenes of the bombing and its immediate aftermath are very bloody and brutal, but probably do not come close to depicting the reality of that day. The scenes of the shootout between the terrorists and the Watertown police, although equally violent, fully convey the utter depravity of these two young terrorists.As good as “Patriots Day” is, I see one major flaw in it: the insertion of a fictional character, Police Officer Tommy Saunders, into the film. Played by Mark Wahlberg, Saunders is a composite of several Boston police officers, and appears at several key points throughout the movie. He is present in scenes helping rescue victims; providing key information to FBI agents; conducting a field interview with the young man who had escaped a carjacking by the brothers; and even tracking down one of the terrorists to his hiding place. It simply defies belief that one person would be involved in four (or more) different major actions. Peter Berg probably could have (and should have) cast Mark Wahlberg as any one of the many real-life heroes of that day, and the film would have been even better as a result……Even with its faults, “Patriots Day” is still a pretty darn good movie just as it is. It easily earns my highest recommendation and a place in my digital video library. (4½ Stars ^ 5)

The film tells of the tragic events that took place on the streets of Boston when the 'Tsarnaev' brothers plantedtwo bombs among the crowds watching the closing stages of the annual marathon staged on Patriots Day, intruth they almost certainly expected to inflict greater carnage than did occur, though of course the death orinjury of just one is one too many.The film shows the brothers learning to make the bombs from internet instructions after clearly being radicalisedby propaganda watched.We follow the fictional Police Sergeant 'Tommy Saunders' (Mark Wahlberg) who's character was created as a crediblefigure to be close to both the bombing and indeed the following manhunt.F.B.I. are called in to front the search for the bombers led by Special-Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon)..when during the few days that followed the brothers are identified and their photo's published they clearly panicleading to what transpired during the chase to hunt them down.There are several notable performances from the cast involved along the way.*When the bombs exploded three were killed including an eight-year-old boy, several were injured including a marriedcouple who, taken to separate hospitals both lost a leg, during the few days that followed a police officer was gunneddown and killed by the brothers.Must admit, i was a little surprised in many ways that the film of the tragedy was made so relatively soon after theevent. when, i suspect for many the memories of that day are still raw, especially for the families affected by whathappened that day.The film did not do as well as expected at the box-office, perhaps because of the nearness to the event...The film itself though reenacting thoughtfully did tend to beef-up the action some to create what was in truth avery tense and often exciting watch.I remember hearing of the tragedy shortly after it happened and like many was both shocked and saddened thatthe celebration had been turned into tragedy.Certainly a film worthy of viewing.

What an absolutely amazing film. It shows you what happened on that terrible day and the gripping manhunt that came after. The story itself is so sad and the scene with the bombers in the car had me on the edge of my seat. There are some great actors in the movie such as Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman and Kevin Bacon and it is directed fantastically by Peter Berg (who has worked with Wahlberg in 2 other true story movies before this- Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon).Is it worth the money?For such a well produced and brilliantly emotional movie with great acting I would say that it is definitely worth the money. The movie is 2 hours and 10 minutes long with 30 minutes worth of interesting special features on the DVD which include 3 interviews with people who helped save the injured and helped track down the bombers.Some people are saying that this movie is pointlessly made, but it is the complete opposite of pointless, it even says in the end credits that is was made for the people that were injured or died in that dreadful day.

What a total waste of what could have been an extraordinary film. I endured over an hour before aborting this totally dreadful piece of badly made garbage. A truly bad piece of film making using out of focus shaky zig-zag sickening camera work, poorly constructed and amateurishly produced. Just a shame.

I wasn't sure what to expect really but it was a good film with a bit of everything and more to the story than I expected which made it more interesting. Not sure how much is true but it also frustrated me making me feel quite angry but I did enjoy and would recommend it.

Present for my brother who is a huge fan of Mark. Based on the events at the Boston marathon you are caught up in the manhunt for the bombers. You are literally on the end of your seat waiting for the outcome.