NEW MOVIE: Patriots Day

Before getting into the review, I would like to thank Allied Tampa, Gofobo, and the Regal at Citrus Park Mall for making the advance screening of Patriots Day possible. It was a great experience to see a film in a cinema in a completely different context.

Rated R for violence, realistically graphic injury images, language throughout and some drug use

Peter Berg's (Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon) latest film, Patriots Day, retells the true story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. We experience the film from the vantage point of the people of Boston, from the victims directly affected, the citizens who unexpectedly become involved, those responsible, and the authorities who tirelessly pursue the attackers in the days that follow. If it weren't for Berg's calculated and creative direction, the film would still be grounded by how the film was cast. Mark Whalberg (Lone Survivor, Transformers: Age of Extinction) plays a police sergeant who is on his way out of suspension; John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane, Argo) is Boston Commissioner Ed Davis; Kevin Bacon (Apollo 13), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), and Michelle Monaghan (Gone Baby Gone) round out the all-star cast of the "higher-ups" in this situation, or those closest to the investigations. Berg and the casting directors wisely decided to have lesser-known but capable actors from television and indie features fill in for the citizens of Boston, such as Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Alex Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band), and Jake Picking (Goat). The exploitation of our psychological association with well-known actors in roles keeps us engaged in the investigative portions, while having unknown actors play the people of Boston makes them feel like real people and not just actors. It was a smart move, and it truly showcases the talent of these actors.

With a film about terrorism and tragedy, it is important to treat the subject matter carefully and respectfully. With only a three-year gap since the bombing, some may think it too soon to even touch the story. Personally, I felt the event was handled with grace. Even though the film deals with several story threads related to the bombing, Berg and his writers do their best to flesh out the characters and give them full dimensions. Mark Whalberg isn't a cardboard-cutout police sergeant who wants to avenge his city; he's a man who feels regret for letting the bombing happen under his watch, and the carnage clearly takes a toll on him. Even though he looks like fresh Marky-Mark at the top of the film, by the end, he looks haggard and exhausted, physically and emotionally. Kevin Bacon isn't just the FBI Agent in Charge who takes over operations. He has to carefully consider every step revealed to the public and its repercussions, not for his paycheck, but for the lives it will affect. The terrorists aren't just mindless jihadists looking for mayhem. The eldest is portrayed as a man who politically and religiously believes he is doing the right thing, on a crusade to destroy the guilty. The youngest is a college student/drug dealer who wants to impress his brother and get a gun. Despite that character development, the film does not justify their terroristic actions nor make them likeable in any way. Berg understands and reveals to us that caricature is not the only way to realize good and evil. It is, in fact, people--fleshed-out people, like you and me--who harbor good and evil within ourselves and act on such.

The film is effectively tense throughout. Though the film starts out rather happy and mundane with citizens joking with each other and Whalberg and Goodman going about a comical arrest, the dramatic irony of the situation brings the agony of inevitability, knowing the players are all walking into a tragedy they weren't expecting. Seeing the terrorists' side of the story, too, brings an extra layer of tenseness since we see them plant the bombs and begin their (planned) tour of terror. The film never does let up until the murderers are found. It is kind of odd, though, that the film has so much humor. There are comic moments throughout the film where the audience roared with laughter, and not in a bad way--the film wanted to elicit that reaction, and we responded appropriately. I found it strange that the film would want us to laugh like we did since the subject matter was so serious. It didn't really become clear until the end: the humor wasn't to alleviate the tension--because it really didn't--but rather to show love through the hate, unity during destruction, resiliency through the impossible, and the character of Boston. I think, more than anything, this film gives the rest of the nation and the world the personified definition of Boston Strong--a community that stayed together, never lost its attitude in grief, and worked in tandem with each other and its authorities to bring justice and take down those that hurt their home.

Bacon, Whalberg, and Goodman attempt to piece together the narrative.

The only real complaint I have about the film is that J.K. Simmons felt underused as the Watertown Police Sgt. Pugliese. He serves as great comic relief and proves himself again as an extremely capable actor, but for a while his character felt irrelevant since Watertown isn't affected by the terrorist brothers until much later in the film. It goes with the structure of the film, with different character arcs and plot strands unexpectedly being connected to the events surrounding the bombing, some later than others, but it was strange to see him in scenes early in the film with little to do but lighten the mood. It is, though, but a nitpick.

All in all, Patriots Day is an effectively-directed, smartly-edited, tense and powerful film that pays appropriate tribute to the victims and city of Boston. It may seem too soon to do a film like this, but it justifies itself by addressing relevant themes of terrorism, community, resilience, and the possibility of preventing these kinds of attacks. Whalberg and the rest give realistic and strong performances that puts in perspective the events surrounding that fateful Patriots Day. I'll give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. When it plays near you next month, please go see it!

So are you looking forward to Patriots Day? What's the most effective real-life event movie you've seen? Whatever you have to say about me or the movies, comment below!