Review of Patriots Day (2016) by William%20 O — 10 Jan 2018

Patriots Day is intense, emotional, and another success for the Peter Berg/Mark Wahlberg duo who has given us Deepwater Horizon, a very good film that came out last year, and Lone Survivor, a film I have not seen but have heard is good as well.

The one thing that makes this movie so great (besides it being in Boston) is just how on the point the actors were. Mark Wahlberg does a fantastic job playing Sgt. Tommy Saunders, especially when you consider his character was one of the few not to be a real-life figure.

John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, and Kevin Bacon also are very good in their more minor roles. The reason behind their success is not just the fact that they come off as real people but you care about them too; you want them to catch the bad guy and you want them to bring justice to the families affected by the tragic events.

There isn't any Oscar-worthy performance just plain, good acting. More impressive were Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze who played the infamous Tsarnaev brothers. They both brought the energy and fear to the big screen which is required for the serious roles.

Outside of the acting performances the movie is rather average; the cinematography does get a little creative with some of the shots they pull off. The final action sequences in the movie are bracing and interesting to see as well.

Patriots Day is a must-see and if you aren't sure if you'll like it because the events happened so recently you may be pleasantly surprised.