The premise of this film is based on the events of the 2013 Boston marathon bombings. Patriots Day brings an emotional look into the men, woman and children that were effected on that tragic day and the sheer bravery from the men and woman of the emergency services on the front line to the investigation afterwards. With excellent performances from the cast and the emotion felt from the actors on screen, the well filmed action scenes, and actual footage from the day. Read on to hear my full review and why this is one film you have to see.
Tommy Saunders (Mark Walberg) a Boston, Massachusetts police sergeant is on security duty at the Boston annual marathon. We see that Tommy is just a regular guy who loves his wife and loves his job. With a knee injury sustained in the line of duty he is placed on uniformed duty until he is fit again to get back to his old job and along the way try not to upset any of his superiors. It’s just a normal day in Boston and the annual marathon is already in progress when we see the Tsarnaev Brothers (Alex Wolff) And (Themo Melikidze) plant backpacks in two locations. This results in two bombs being detonated causing tremendous devastation to the people in the vicinity.
Tommy is very quick to react and takes the reins ensuring that emergency services are clear to access the bombing sites. Law enforcement are in the right place and helping victims while securing the area for other potential bombs. We see hear the comradery and the sure human nature of people coming together to help and stopping at nothing to make sure that everyone is cared for in this tragic aftermath. With fatalities and casualties the investigation begins and Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) offers an emotional and endearing performance of a commissioner and the sure determination to bring these men to justice.
The second part of the movie we see both Tommy and Commissioner Ed Davis team up with Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon) to firstly identify the culprits behind the bombing attacks and then bring them to justice. Tommy Saunders is brought on board the investigation team with his extensive knowledge of the Boston area with working the beat for over 20 years. While the investigation is ongoing the Tsarnaev brothers are plotting their getaway out of the city to head to New York City to further cause devastation with further bombings. We then see the rallying together of the law enforcements, using every bit of knowledge, technology they have and not letting their emotions cloud their judgement. Their tough chase ahead of capturing the two brothers who’s desperate and reckless behaviour means they will stop at nothing to get away.
A magnificent and emotional performance from Mark Wahlberg who is the only fictional character in the film. His story is based on the stories of three Boston officers and the events and aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings. Even though his character is fictional I did not feel it was a vehicle for him as a big action movie star as some people have stated. I felt however this is undoubtedly the best acting he has done to date and a character he played with the upmost emphathy and respect for tragic real life events. The supporting cast did the film justice and it was great to see Kevin Bacon back at his best and not a particularly easy role either I felt. Playing a strong character and again his emotional and variety of acting again shone through here. The same goes for John Goodman and his character who was the man with the whole world on his shoulders, needing to give answers and manage constant pressure to capture the culprits.
Going to the cinema I did not know the full story and this is not an over-dramatization by Hollywood here, just an emotional and deep down feeling of pure relentlessness of what happened that day and the fatalities and injuries suffered. Hats off to the director Peter Berg and the rest of the cast for the filming of this movie only a few years after it happened, for ultimately the emphasis on the people and giving an insight into the events and tremendous emotions experienced by the people and law enforcement on that day that we could never imagine.
Author: Paul, York store
