Review of Patriots Day (2016) by Mad M — 13 Jan 2017

Boston Strong all around, and a reminder real heroes don't wear capes, but badges. We start out with Officer Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) leading a drug raid the night before the fateful 2013 Boston Marathon.

After getting scolded by Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman), Tommy goes home to his wife Carol (Michelle Monaghan), where he's scolded for drinking and forced to rest elsewhere before he does his job at the 2013 Boston Marathon where the fateful event takes place, and things are never the same afterward.

We see the lead-up to and fallout of the Boston Marathon through law enforcement of Boston, Watertown, and FBI, like Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (J.K. Simmons) and Boston FBI Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon).

We also see the story of MIT Officer Sean Collier (Jake Picking), who was shot by the Tsarnaevs in real life, but not just there, but we get a taste of his life, which adds to the emotional impact of his death.

Let's not forget Dun Meng (Jimmy O. Yang), the driver who was carjacked by the Tsarnaevs, who we're introduced to when we see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Alex Wolff) watching a tutorial on how to build the pressure cookers that did so much physical damage at the finish line, and even more repercussions beyond Boylston St.

There is a lot of great character development of law enforcement, victims and all those involved, and they don't humanize the Tsarnaevs as much, but give us a taste of their lives and a look into their beliefs.

I could go on about how well they balanced the screen time of law enforcement, victims, terrorists, etc, but I must also praise the plot: well-paced and coherent throughout, and again, tastefully depicting the Boston Marathon Bombing while capturing the horror of that week.

I wasn't there in any way, but I'm a Massachusetts man, and I can say that week was the worst April Vacation of my life, because terrorism hit so close to home that day, they didn't over-do the explosions when it came time, and on top of that, I found it really cool how they incorporated actual footage from the real-life event into it.

You could tell it was so, but it added to the realism. Of course, every movie, real-life story or not, needs a soundtrack, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross deliver a score that's moving at intimate moments, and intensifies with the story, mostly when we arrive at the actual terrorism, and keeps it tasteful by not going over the top, because this is a true story.

It was so tasteful because the comic relief, which actually exists in this movie, and is placed appropriately, because we all need a good laugh to remind us life will go on. Laughs tend to come from perfectly placed one-liners (Dun Meng, the Tsarnaev's hostage, gives the best one-liner that you'll know when you get to it).

Catch this perfectly-made film, that captures the horrors of that horrible week in Boston and surrounding towns, shows it in a powerful manner, and even sneaks in a little comic relief without ruining the powerful message, while remaining tasteful.

Patriot's Day is truly a patriot's film, regardless of whether you're from Boston or a neighboring town!