Patriots Day (2016)

#PatriotsDayMovie is a perfectly accurate depiction of one of the most harrowing and courageous weeks in U.S. history. Everybody involved in this movie has done the true story and the survivors justice, they approach it with immense respect so much so that the result is a vigorous, powerful, and deeply moving film that's part procedural part thriller with all around great performances.

Scripted by Peter Berg, Matt Cook and Joshua Zetumer, directed by Peter Berg, the story focuses on the Boston marathon bombing attack in spring 2013 and the aftermath of that unspeakable tragedy. Mark Wahlberg plays police sergeant Tommy Saunders who joins the first responders and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the people responsible. Kevin Bacon plays special agent Richard Deslauriers, John Goodman plays commissioner Ed Davis, J.K. Simmons plays Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese, and Michelle Monaghan plays nurse Carol Saunders. The film also celebrates community's courage in the face of adversity.

There are many aspects that I'm sure Peter Berg had to take into consideration in the process of making this film, there are several fine lines, questions of how to make this sensitive towards the families of the victims, how to make sure that the film doesn't come across as just being action, and how to make sure they tell the story in way that emphasizes what tragedies like this often does which is bring people together. And so I think PATRIOTS DAY is a testament to Peter Berg's strength as a storyteller. The whole thing is staged in such way that immediately takes us back to how it happened three years ago, no sugarcoating, no dumbing down, it even amplifies that unfiltered Boston attitude to the degree which I haven't seen before in any other film, and the addition that they do have, in the case of Mark Wahlberg's character, is there as the voice that conveys the film's message, what it exemplifies.

The film at times goes into investigative mode, so it gets riveting, which I think is important because the collaboration and the conflict and the banter between law enforcement agencies did play an integral role on how the event ultimately concluded. Kudos to all the actors involved, especially Themo Melikidze and Alex Wolff who have the heavy burden of portraying the murderers. Themo and Alex essentially become the Tsarnaev brothers and they manage to evoke all kinds emotions in the audience anytime they show up on the screen. I think it's a wise decision on Berg's part to incorporate raw footage from the many of the video surveillance cameras because they only add to the narrative's intensity. "Patriots Day" is not a re-enactment, it's a depiction with an ever present theme of what we as human beings or citizens can accomplish if we would just set our differences aside and help one another.