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:
April 15th, 2013. As the Boston Marathon is in full swing, two brothers set off homemade bombs in an act of terrorism. In the chaotic aftermath, the local police join forces with the FBI to identify the perpetrators and track them down. The resulting manhunt shuts down the entire city. Based on true events.
Making a film just three years after the tragic events of the Boston Marathon might seem like undue haste. But there’s no sign of that in Peter Berg’s Patriots Day, his third collaboration with Boston native, Mark Wahlberg.
After their success with the true life story of Deepwater Horizon, it was no surprise that they looked for similar inspiration for their next project together. Except that, to coin a phrase, this time it’s personal – for Wahlberg, at least. And this is no rushed, cobbled-together movie, but one with sensitivity and respect for its subject and the people involved, as well as an exciting piece of cinema. “Boston strong” it is. Gung-ho never gets a look-in.
The scene is set in a comfortingly familiar way, as we’re introduced to a series of characters all intimately involved in the events both on that day in April and afterwards. They’re our guides through the story, but initially they’re just going about their daily lives: police Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (J K Simmons) getting coffee and cakes for his wife, couple Patrick Downes (Christopher O’Shea) and Jessica Kensky (Rachel Brosnahan) getting ready to go to the Marathon and so on. The Tsarnaev brothers (Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze), who were responsible for the bombs, are treated in a similar way: they’re seen at home watching TV.
Linking them all together is police officer Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg), an out and out Bostonian returning to duty after being laid up with a knee injury. Outspoken to the point of hot headed, he’s a dedicated cop who’s warmly welcomed back on security duty at the race by his colleagues. He also knows the city streets like the back of his hand, invaluable when it comes identifying the bombers. At that point, he turns into something of a one-man CSI and has the uncanny knack of always being in the right place at the right time.
All of which makes him sound like the hero of the hour. And Wahlberg is certainly the star of the film, but the heroes are many and he’s just one. Some have names and faces. Like Sean Collier (Jake Pickering), a campus cop confronted by the terrorists while they’re on the run and who refuses to surrender his weapon. Or Chinese immigrant, Dun Meng (Jimmy O Yeng), who makes a crucial call to 911 during the manhunt. Many more remain anonymous – all the witnesses to the bombings and, especially, the first responders. In that way, it has definite echoes of United 93 from Paul Greengrass, or Clint Eastwood’s Sully, although none of the people caught up in the real events actually appear in this dramatized version. They’re saved until the end, when they talk to camera about their experiences and how their lives have changed. Their testimonies are the most moving part of all.
Actual newsreel footage from the day is merged with re-construction to good effect. The fact that we all remember the TV coverage of the explosions doesn’t lessen the tension that goes with the build-up: instead you’re braced in anticipation. And the immediate aftermath is re-created impressively, with everything off kilter, ringing noises and just enough blood to leave us in no doubt as to what’s happened. The subsequent manhunt takes up the second half of the film and is probably the least known part of the story. The capture of the bomber hiding in a boat on somebody’s drive way attracted wall to wall media coverage, but the stand-off between the two brothers and the cops in Watertown, an ordinary piece of Greater Boston suburbia, is less familiar. A full scale gun battle, bombs and exploding cars isn’t what you expect in a sleepy backwater.
As a piece of cinema, Patriots Day takes its responsibility to Boston very seriously. Suspense and action are mixed in equal measure with emotion and personal stories. And as a tribute to anybody and everybody involved in the actual events, it’s respectful and sincere. It’s a heady brew.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★/ Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Freda Cooper – Follow me on Twitter, check out my movie blog and listen to my podcast, Talking Pictures.
Originally published February 22, 2017. Updated November 14, 2019.
