MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Action Thriller/Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, Michael Beach, Vincent Curatola, James Colby, Jake Picking, Melissa Benoist, Lana Condor, Jimmy O. Yang, Christopher O’Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Khandi Alexander, David Ortiz, Cliff Moylan, Curtis J. Bellafiore, Sean Avery, Elijah Guo, Joseph Thibodeau, Victoria Avery/Runtime: 130 minutes
I think it can most assuredly be said dear reader that for a lot of major cities in this country, there is usually at least one significant tragedy that the moment you think of it you are also instantly reminded of that city and/or its denizens as well. Indeed, to name but a few examples, New Orleans has Hurricane Katrina, Los Angeles has the Rodney King Riots, San Francisco has the Fire of 1906, New York City has 9/11, and Oklahoma City has the 1995 Federal Building Bombing respectively. Yet among those calamities, there is one set of entries that I forgot to mention. That being Boston and the Boston Marathon Bombing on April 15th, 2013. A tragedy that not only saw 3 people killed and countless others injured, but which also saw something truly inspiring occur as well. That being the entire city of Boston, especially its various law enforcement divisions, come together as one on a dual-tiered mission. Not just to assess the damage or take care of the wounded, but to do everything they could to catch the perpetrators of this horrific attack no matter what the cost in order to ensure they faced justice for their crimes. Of course, when Hollywood heard about this alongside the rest of the world it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that the hamster wheel began turning and thus we got the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today aka 2016’s Patriots Day. Yet, unlike a lot of other true-story based movies I have seen in my life, I must confess that with this one I did have more than my fair share of reservations about seeing it. Not because I didn’t think the cast of players in front of the camera was a talented group or because the director was up to snuff so to speak. Rather, it was because with only 3 years having passed since the time of the disaster I guess I was worried that the film was at worst being released whilst the calamity was still tragically fresh to a degree in most people’s minds and at worst was going to be an insult to those whose lives were impacted in some way by the events of that heartbreaking day. Having seen the finished product however, I can safely say that is most definitely not the case. Yes there are a few issues here and there that are definitely worth taking note of, but they are thankfully balanced by top-tier work both behind as well as in front of the camera. Thus, no Patriots Day might not have been a necessary slice of cinema by any means, but there is no denying that at the end of the day this is a well-made, well-performed, and respectful salute to the bravery and persistence of a city and her citizens at a time when they most assuredly needed it most.
The plot is as follows: Taking us back in time to April 15th of 2013, Patriots Day gets underway as we follow an injured member of the Boston PD by the name of Tommy Saunders as he is set to take on his last pre-arranged assignment before he is taken off of suspension. That being to be a part of the security duty at the world-renowned Boston Marathon. An event that brings in people from all over, but which our intrepid hero (if we’re being honest) I don’t think really is all that big a fan of. Yet whilst Tommy, with a squad of Boston’s finest as well as Police Commissioner Ed Davis backing him up, does his best to keep an watchful eye on both the swarm of racers participating in the marathon itself to say nothing of the masses of passionate spectators observing the event/cheering on certain participants we see that trouble is brewing right under their feet. A type of trouble that takes the shape of a pair of extremist siblings known as the Tsarnaev brothers who have, unbeknownst to anyone, managed to place a pair of volatile home-made explosive devices at certain points on the course. Thus, it isn’t long before at the pinnacle of the marathon, we see that the brothers are tragically able to detonate these devices and in the process murder three people whilst injuring close to 300 others. As a result, and in the midst of the chaos and confusion of not only assessing the damage, but also taking care of those who have been hurt in this horrific attack, we see Saunders and his brothers in blue finding themselves partnering up with a team from the FBI field office in Boston so together they can all work together in apprehending the people responsible. Now with Boston in a state of grief-stricken chaos and the brothers desperately trying to get out of town to say nothing of avoid capture, we see that a dogged and determined manhunt is put into effect. One that will see a series of confrontations ensue to say nothing of Boston being put under a form of lockdown, but also hopefully show these bad guys that at the end of the day there truly is no escape from the long arm of justice especially from a city that is devoted to catching you no matter what. As for how successful they were in that particular objective, that I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader….
Now right off the bat dear reader, it should be said that film helmer Peter Berg does merit praise for making the choice to avoid concentrating on either the motivation for these atrocities as well as how by and large not really presenting audiences with any kind of all-encompassing assertions of a political nature. As a result, we see that by doing so the film is able to brilliantly showcase for us not only how law enforcement on all levels came together to catch those responsible, but also how the words “Boston Strong” really became a rallying cry to represent the togetherness felt by the city of Boston. Not just when the bombings occurred or during the investigation into the matter mind you, but even to this very day respectively. Along with that, we also see that the work done by the DP on this slice of cinema manages to showcase a brilliantly riveting vibe of unflinching authenticity throughout the entirety of the film. An authenticity that especially makes itself known, courtesy of a team-up with reproduced footage as well as perspective shots from various people involved, when Berg decides to showcase for us not only the initial bombing, but also its gut-wrenching aftermath. Thankfully, despite the visceral potency of the latter scenes, we see that Berg to his credit doesn’t stay focused on the guilty parties for very long nor does he take his slow sweet time in showing us the fallout from their destructive acts either. Instead, he gives us just enough so that not only does it make its intended impact, but so we as an audience are able to truly reflect on the nightmare that occurred that day. A feat he later repeats at the end of the film when he presents us with footage of both people who survived the bombing as well as Boston law enforcement officers presenting us with their perspective on the events of that day and the immediate aftermath. Indeed by doing so, not only is Berg and his team doing a brilliant job at ensuring the real-life people impacted are rightfully made the heart and soul of the film, but also to function as a sad yet vital reminder to us that these things did occur. Of course, this being a movie in the thriller genre and all, it should come as no surprise to learn that there are quite a few moments where things do manage to become genuinely suspenseful even if you happen to know how those particular events played out in real life with particular regard to a carjacking committed by the suspects that definitely left me riveted as to how this would wind up being resolved. Finally, it should also be noted that pretty much from beginning to end, this slice of cinema is also the blessed recipient of a terrific musical accompaniment courtesy of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Indeed not only does this dynamic duo’s musical accompaniment manage to do a brilliant job of escalating both the tension and suspense especially in the scenes involving the manhunt for the perpetrators, but also at knowing when to dial things down a bit and be more on the low-key respectful side as well.
Of course, the other big element that helps to make this film work on the level that it does comes in the form of the stacked cast of talent assembled in front of the camera. With that in mind though, it is also in this key area where we see one of the more intriguing issues this slice of cinema is saddled with come to play. That being in the form of the character Sgt. Tommy Saunders as portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. Now it is worth noting that this character is the one character who is not a real person, but rather a character that is a combination of several or more real-life law enforcement officers who answered the call during this fateful tragedy. With that in mind though, this does present an intriguing question: why not just have Wahlberg play one of those guys rather than an entirely fictional character? Yes I get that this character is meant to serve as the quasi-sorta eyes of the audience during this slice of cinema’s runtime and plus to his credit Wahlberg does do a good job here even if it’s not his finest hour working alongside helmer Berg. Even with those in mind though, the fact still remains that had Wahlberg portrayed a real cop/investigator that was there that day it is my opinion that not only would have it been just as good a performance, but it would also have been perhaps a bit more meaningful as well. Alongside Wahlberg, we also get a collection of support talent that proves to be just as good if not even better in some cases. This includes everyone from Kevin Bacon who is brilliantly to the point in his role of FBI Agent Richard DesLauriers and screen icon John Goodman who is spot-on as Boston PD Commissioner Ed Davis to iconic character actor J.K. Simmons who proves to be dependably phenomenal in the pivotal role of Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese and even extends to efforts from such screen talents as future Lois Lane and present Miss Maisel Rachel Brosnahan, Christopher O’Shea, Michelle Monaghan, and Melissa Benoist who proves to be equal parts chilling and yet also infuriating in her role here. Out of everyone in the cast though, it is worth noting that, keeping in mind not only the destruction they caused to say nothing of the emotional and physical damage they unleashed on the city of Boston in its entirety, this slice of cinema does a fantastic job at ensuring the villains of the piece as portrayed here by Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze are by no means portrayed as confident or even skilled individuals. Instead, the movie slams them by making them a pair of young men who were both incompetent and inept to the max right down to making one a complete dunce and the other an alpha male with such a volatile temperament that he couldn’t even fulfill the main components of their scheme. In that respect, we see that by doing this the film is able to provide its own sense of cathartic vengeance against them as well as the people who assisted/enabled them. Suffice it to say that there might be one key issue with the work done in front of the camera, but the cast certainly does their best to make up for it.
All in all is Patriots Day a perfect slice of cinema by any means? Honestly no. At the same time though, is it safe to say that this is completely and utterly offensive to not only the city of Boston and their law enforcement officers, but also to the people who either died, were injured, or impacted in other ways that fateful day? Thankfully, I can say with absolute confidence that isn’t the case either. Rather, I would actually say that not only is this film an incredible blend of both riveting as well as heartbreaking, but it also manages to serve as something else as well. Namely as no more and less than a rousing tribute to the power of community in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy to say nothing of a genuinely respectful memorial to the work done by everyone from law enforcement to seemingly ordinary people that day to ensure that justice was served and that, despite how dark the day in question managed to become, the dawn would come once more. Suffice it to say therefore that yes there are some issues to be found with this slice of cinema, but with the aid of wonderfully honest yet genuinely respectful work both behind the camera as well as in front of the camera, Patriots Day most assuredly may not be the best of the best for its respective genre of movie magic, but as far as cinematic memorials and/or tributes to moments in time that tested us as people so that we could come together and rise up stronger than ever before trust me when I say that it might be one that is hard at points to sit through, but it is also most assuredly one slice of cinema that is necessary. Not only to remember the event itself, but to remember and honor those involved and their stories as well. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Patriots Day “2016” a solid 4 out of 5.
