Patriots Day surrounds the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath that came with the manhunt that took place. It’s full of action, full of suspense, and very American.
Coming at a time when it seems like patriotism is at an all-time high, some might see this as just the film to boost faith in our country. But its the typical “we will rebuild” film and we know what’s going to happen because we watched the news right? Wrong.
There was so much that took place behind the scenes that you will hang off the edge of your seat once the inevitable takes place (the bombing). They did an excellent job of building up the suspense to that point. Because after the bombing there’s nothing to “build.” The film just takes off in a very organic way the audience will appreciate.
As we follow Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) we learn about the race and the events thereafter from a myriad of perspectives. If you’ve ever seen “Vantage Point”, it was the exact same concept without having to rewind back to the same point multiple times. Tommy played a key role in helping the FBI recreate the scene, find the identity of the two bombers, and even found the last one during the manhunt.
Other familiar faces include Michelle Monaghan as Carol Saunders, John Goodman as Commissioner Ed Davis, J.K. Simmons as Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese, Michael Beach as Gov. Deval Patrick, and Kevin Bacon as Special Agent Richard DesLauriers, and Khandi Alexander as the interrogator.
I give Patriots Day a 9 out of 10. It’s very interesting to learn about what went on behind the scenes after the explosions. There is lots of action in this film. The film starts slow to introduce you to everyone that plays a major role in the story, then the race takes place, and hold on to your seat from that point on.
-Jon J.