Patriots Day

     Patriots Day is directed by Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) and stars Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane), Kevin Bacon (Footloose), and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash). It tells the story of the Boston Marathon bombing and the following hours as a massive manhunt for the two bombers takes place throughout the Boston area.

     I remember being at a movie theater parking lot in McKinney while watching the manhunt take place on CNN. It was an intense standoff while waiting for the suspect to either be killed or arrested. But I did not know much about the backstory behind the event. And with Peter Berg directing, after two stand out directorial projects in Lone Survivor and Deep Water Horizon, the movie looked to be a powerful piece revolving around one of the biggest acts of terrorism on our soil in our nation’s history.

     The most interesting aspect of Patriots Day was the style of filmmaking that Berg employed. He mixed recreations of the event with actual footage from the day that was so seamless I did not even notice when he first did it. By using actual news footage, store cameras, and first person footage from people on that day, he built a narrative that felt authentic and real. It was chilling to see images of the actual bombers going about daily activities like getting milk just hours after committing an atrocious act of terror.

     Mark Wahlberg delivers a career best performance as Tommy Saunders, a Boston cop trying to get back into the good graces of the system. Wahlberg is not a typical leading man, not knowing all the answers and even getting battered, but he gives his all to the character and breathes life into a part that could have been a stereotype. While the rest of the actors deliver good performances, my only con would be that I felt some of them were miscast with some rough Boston accents on display.
     Overall, Patriots Day is a moving film showcasing raw human emotion and the power of the human spirit in the face of evil. The combination of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg is one of the best director/actor duos currently working and if their first three pictures are any indication, they could go down as one of the best pairings ever.

When should you see it?

Opening Night