REVIEW: Patriot’s Day is Riveting Story That Will Capture Audiences

Patriots Day is a riveting story that will have audiences captivated from start to finish. Directed by Peter Berg, the movie is based on the Boston Marathon bombings that took place on April 15, 2013 (Patriot’s Day) and the events that unfolded as the Boston PD, FBI and the Watertown PD searched for the bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev.

Mark Wahlberg leads this cast of fantastic actors as Sergeant Tommy Saunders. Wahlberg does a great job playing this rough around the edges Boston cop, who was at the Boston Marathon finish line when the bombs went off and helped in the manhunt to find the two bombers. John Goodman, JK Simmons and Kevin Bacon are solid in their portrayals of real life Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis (Goodman), Watertown Police Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (Simmons) and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in the FBI’s Boston field office (Bacon). Melissa Benoist as Katherine Russell, Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s wife, will leave you fuming.

This movie is certainly gruesome in some scenes but will have the audience sucked in.
Using real footage from the day of the bombings, Berg has managed to recreate that horrific day. He also used real police scanner audio and footage from the final standoff between police and Dzhokar Tsarnaev (Alex Wolff) on April 19 to help the audience better understand what the police were going through in those final moments.

This movie is definitely worth seeing. If you opt to skip it while in theaters, we suggest you get it on DVD when it comes out.

Berg has found a way to pay tribute to all who were affected by these bombings and show what the city of Boston went through to ensure not only the safety of Boston, but the safety of the United States.

Grade: B+