Patriots Day, 2016.
Directed by Peter Berg.
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher O’Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, Jimmy O. Yang, Jake Picking, and Melissa Benoist.
SYNOPSIS:
An account of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis’s actions in the events leading up to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists behind it.
Boston sure does band together in the most touching and strangest of ways. Scene setup: A small army of special forces (along with Boston and Watertown Police Departments) are all posted up around an isolated neighborhood backyard boat which is believed to be the whereabouts of the second marathon bomber’s hiding location, and don’t forget, a middle-aged community woman also on a rooftop with a rifle pointed squarely at the target. It’s certainly an unexpected and equally hilarious sight to behold, but it epitomizes the very message of Peter Berg’s (Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon) recounting of the Boston Marathon bombings; terrorism can inflict deep wounds, but in the wake of tragedy society will join forces (including civilians and law enforcement) to bring down ultimate evil.
Patriots Day sees director Peter Berg collaborating with star Mark Wahlberg for the third time (and second time of 2016) which might be the conclusion to their trilogy of films exploring the spirit and power of the everyday American citizen. Maybe the other two aren’t fully comparable to Lone Survivor, but there are also crossover themes pertaining to duty and behaving courageously in the face of impossible and unspeakable tragedies. Furthermore, Wahlberg consistently delivers solid shows, filling the roles of these American heroes.
However, what most works about Patriots Day is that it is not a one-man acting show of Wahlberg (who is playing a composite character of different Boston and Watertown Police Sergeants, and also given a wife character played by Michelle Monaghan for added dramatic effect); the amount of time he (or any of the major names attached to this film, including Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons to name a few) is NOT on screen is genuinely surprising and refreshing. This is a film about a community coming together in the aftermath of a tragedy, so it’s heavily welcome that the majority of the first act (the lead up to the bombings) are filled with subtle, quiet scenes of civilians going about their day.
By the time we’re watching the marathon, even though we know it’s coming, we desperately don’t want those bombs to explode. Just swerve us, have no explosions, and play the movie out as The Other Guys 2 with J.K. Simmons replacing the role of Will Ferrell, blurting out zingers like “I gotta f****** quit smoking!” after a heated firefight. Ok, that last part actually happens, and it’s hilarious. Getting back to the point, the first 30-45 minutes or so are highly compelling, with the graphic injuries sustained both difficult to observe but also necessary for the film to detect. Fortunately, Berg never lingers on blood and gore to the point where the casualties are being exploited in the name of gratuitous carnage. Following all the violence, Patriots Day becomes a full-on thriller, for better or worse.
As the hours and days following the horrific incident began to add up (the film also doesn’t need notifications on what time it is in Boston at every given minute, people understand passage of time Peter Berg), Patriots Day does gradually lose steam the longer it continues. There are moments throughout the running time though that are either wildly engaging (re-creating the crime scene while Wahlberg tries to map out the walking street path of the bombers) and others that are disturbing to nauseating levels. Let’s just say that one of the wisest creative decisions of Patriots Day is following around the terrorists themselves, along with the heinous deeds they commit.
The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who have collaborated together before on a number of David Fincher films) also use their signature heavy electronic beats to almost stir up (and I’m using this word again because it’s exactly how I felt during one or two scenes), nauseous feelings. Patriots Day has masterful atmosphere, always keeping viewers on edge. I don’t believe that certain scenes would be anywhere near as effective without this duo providing some truly unnerving music.
Again, even though the proceedings eventually do devolve into a standard manhunt thriller that audiences will assuredly know the ending to, Patriots Day as a complete film respectfully honors the tragic events that took place in April of 2013. It shows that when society is knocked down, it unites. That single important theme is never lost throughout the duration of the film, and for that (along with some terrific performances and brutally realistic look at the horrors of the bombings), the movie is a success.
“Two people took many days and weeks to plan out hate, but love responded in an instant” – Survivor Patrick Downes
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – Chief Film Critic of Flickering Myth. Check here for new reviews weekly, friend me on Facebook, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
Originally published January 13, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
