Patriots Day

Plot synopsis:
Boston, MA, April 2013The film opens with Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) and two other police officers trying to get a suspect named Harrold (Rhet Kidd) to open his apartment door. Tommy kicks the door down with such force that he injures his knee. He manages to catch Harrold before Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) arrives. Tommy tells Davis that he hurt his knee kicking a perp in the mouth as the officers arrest Harrold.A title card reads that it is April 15th, 2013.A couple named Patrick Downes (Christopher O'Shea) and Jessica Kinsky (Rachel Brosnahan) are having a meal as they discuss going to the marathon later that day. Patrick tries to get Jessica to speak with a Boston accent.At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a group of students are working on a project of theirs as Officer Sean Collier (Jake Picking) goes to visit one of his friends, Li (Lana Condor), regarding concert tickets.Tommy gets home late and wakes up his wife Carol (Michelle Monaghan) as he stumbles through his closet.As the sun is rising, a Chinese exchange student named Dun Meng (Jimmy O. Yang) talks to his parents via a video chat and shows them his new car, a large black Mercedes. His parents comment that he must be very tired. Dun then goes out for his morning run.Tommy does his morning workout and goes to find that Carol put his uniform together for him. He puts it on, kisses Carol goodbye, and goes off to work.Meanwhile, Katherine Russell (Melissa Benoist) is tending to her daughter while her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev (Themo Melikidze) and his brother Dzokhar (Alex Wolff) are planning for something together. Dzokhar doesn't seem entirely sure about what is to come, while Tamerlan tells him that they are working in the name of Islam. Tamerlan then hugs his brother.In nearby Watertown, Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (JK Simmons) gets up and goes to the nearby Dunkin Donuts to get his wife a blueberry muffin.The Patriots Day marathon is being set up as officers and citizens continue coming in. Steve Woolfenden (Dustin Tucker) and his son Leo (Lucas Thor Kelley) are there to watch his wife compete in the race. Patrick and Jessica arrive and join the crowd. Sean and his buddies watch from home. Carol shows up in the crowd to bring Tommy something. Before the race begins, there is a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the Newtown school shooting.Tamerlan and Dzokhar arrive at the race. They split up and carry backpacks with them, dropping them off a few blocks away from each other before disappearing. As the runners are heading down the street, an explosion goes off. Before most people can react, another explosion goes off a few blocks down. The police spring into action while medics start tending to the wounded. Both Patrick and Jessica's legs are severely injured. Steve is knocked out by the blast, but Leo is uninjured. A medic tends to Steve while an officer takes Leo somewhere safe. Tommy finds Carol safe and urges her to get home. Other runners and fans are severely injured with some of their limbs blown off or mangled.Once things have settled in the area and everyone has been cleared out, the police meet with FBI Special Agent in Charge Rick Deslauriers (Kevin Bacon). After learning the details, Rick doesn't want to initially label the incident as an act of terrorism so as to not create even more panic, but they come to the conclusion that this was indeed done by terrorists. Rick has all the authorities working on the case to set up shop at the Black Falcon Terminal so that they may conduct their investigation.The Tsarnaevs see reports of their attack all over the news and decide to keep a low profile.Tommy goes around the city trying to find leads. He meets with Jessica's family while she and Patrick are both comatose and have had their legs amputated in separate hospitals. Tommy goes home and finds neighbors and friends all clamoring and asking who is responsible. Tommy becomes distressed and screams at everyone to get out. He breaks down in Carol's arms over what he has just witnessed and vows to find those responsible.An analyst at the terminal reviews security footage from the marathon prior to the explosion. He spots Dzokhar wearing a white cap and being the only one to look in the opposite direction from everyone else. They also manage to get footage of Tamerlan. Rick is hesitant in putting the pictures out because he thinks it might give the suspects an advantage since there isn't concrete proof that they were the culprits. He also worries that should they be Muslim, it will create anti-Muslim paranoia and fear. Rick chooses not to release the photos, but Davis demands that they do.Pugliese has his own team in Watertown conducting their investigation into the bombings.Some of Dzokhar's college buddies are in his dorm smoking weed. They look into his bag for more weed but find a number of materials used to create a bomb (fireworks and vaseline, for instance).The brothers go out at night and find Sean sitting in his patrol car after responding to a nearby disturbance. They approach his car, and Tamerlan shoots Sean in the face. Dzokhar tries to grab Sean's gun, but Sean fights him off. Tamerlan continues to shoot Sean until he is dead. Afterwards, they come across Dun in his Mercedes and they carjack him at gunpoint. Tamerlan drives away and asks Dun if he believes Muslims were responsible for 9/11. Dun admits to not knowing much about 9/11 as Tamerlan claims the U.S. government was responsible for those attacks. The brothers then stop at a gas station. As Tamerlan is waiting for Dzokhar to get out of the store, Dun quickly escapes the car so that he can run to nearby convenience store and tells the clerk to call 911. The brothers get away but Tommy arrives at the convenience store to talk to Dun. He tells Tommy that the brothers admitted to the marathon bombings and are planning another attack in New York. Dun gives Tommy the GPS tracking number to his car so they can find them.Police trace the car to Watertown. Tamerlan is confronted and starts to open fire on an officer. Backup arrives, leading to a shootout. Dzokhar throws bombs at the police while Tamerlan shoots at them. Pugliese and Tommy rush to the scene. Tamerlan is eventually shot multiple times. Dzokhar drives away and finishes his own brother off by running him over. Tamerlan is taken to the hospital where doctors try to revive him, but he is pronounced dead.The next day, the entire city is on lockdown as police continue to search for Dzokhar. His roommates are arrested in their dorm. Katherine is also taken into custody to be questioned for any possible involvement in her husband's deeds. A woman police detective interrogates Katherine and presses her into trying to give up any information should there be more bombs out there. The woman tries to convince Katherine that Tamerlan didn't even care enough about her or their daughter, just as Katherine doesn't care enough about their child to disclose any information. Katherine remains silent on the matter.Across town, Patrick and Jessica are reunited, as are Steve and Leo.A man in the suburbs finds rolls outside on his lawn by his boat. He believes that Dzokhar is hiding under the sheets in the boat. The police arrive, and Tommy goes over to confirm that Dzokhar is indeed in the boat. More officers show up and demand for Dzokhar to get out. They start shooting at the boat and setting off flares until Dzokhar finally surrenders. He is slammed to the ground and taken into custody. Everyone at the terminal cheers when they hear the news.Tommy and his fellow officers go to a bar to celebrate their victory.We see footage of a Boston Red Sox game with the real authorities portrayed in the film present, with everyone in the city showing off a newfound sense of pride and unity.The closing text reads that Dzokhar Tsarnaev was charged on 30 counts and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He is currently being held in federal prison while awaiting appeal. His roommates were arrested for obstructing the investigation. Authorities continue to investigate Katherine Russell for any possible involvement in the bombings.We then see video testimonies from the real people involved, including Ed Davis, Richard Deslauriers, Jeffrey Pugliese, Patrick Downes, Jessica Kinskey, and Steve Woolfenden and his wife Amber. They discuss the tragedy of the events, but also the strength and unity it brought them, and the massive support for the authorities and survivors. We see Patrick with a prosthetic leg as he would later run in the marathon and make it to the finish line. He is seen tearfully embracing Jessica. Also shown are photos of the deceased victims (Krystle Campbell, Lu Lingzi, Martin Richard, and Officer Sean Collier). The film is dedicated to the victims, survivors, first responders, medics, and the law enforcement that were involved during the events.

Tags: murder

Review:
Especially if it's based on real events, shows the heroism of simple people and touches the audience's sensitive patriotic spot.That's basically a recipe for Patriots Day. Take the case of the Boston Marathon bombing, the largest terrorist attack in the US since 9/11, show it through the eyes of several regular people, first introducing their personal lives and then following them along the course of the main events.
It would have been far more effective, in my view, to stick nearer to reality and have a range of other cameos step into those roles.There is a tendency (for this British viewer at least) for the film to overreach with its stirring patriotic message in the closing scenes, and there was the predictable trotting out of the 'real life' photos and videos in the finale, albeit that some of these are movingly portrayed.
Mark Wahlberg, reuniting with the director for the third film in a row, is Boston detective Tommy Saunders, a composite of several real people, while Kevin Bacon plays FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers.For writer and director Peter Berg, following "Lone Survivor" and "Deep Water Horizon", "Patriots Day" can be seen as the third part of his unofficial Americans-in-crisis trilogy which probably play better for US audiences than overseas, but manage to combine information with entertainment.This time round, the viewer cannot fail to be struck by the complexity and sophistication of modern-day surveillance and forensic technologies.
Well, I can assure those of you who are feeling negative emotions over this, Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have created, not only a great film but a respectable one.
There are no "lone hero" moments for those of you who see Wahlberg's name in the same sentence as the term Boston Bombing movie and think it will be a balls out action film.
From this moment on, Patriots Day kicks into a high-octane race against time thriller more in the vein of Zero Dark Thirty.The film itself is Peter Berg's masterpiece.
To sum it up as best I can, the acting is top-notch and I'd be very surprised if the film didn't garner a couple acting nominations at this point but only time can tell.Overall, Patriots Day is every bit as thrilling as its true story.
In interviews director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have stated the film should be seen as a movie about a city coming together to fight evil.
Such people include Patrick Downes (O'Shea) and Jessica Kensky (Brosnahan), a young couple injured by the first explosion; Officer Sean Collier (Picking), the MIT policeman who was shot and killed in the line of duty; Chinese national Dun Meng (Yang) who was briefly held hostage by the bombers and Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (Simmons) who brought down the elder of the Tsarnaev brothers.Then of course there's Mark Wahlberg who plays the very fictional and very chuckle-headed Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg); a Boston cop whose story, I think, is meant to serve as connective tissue.
The Film "Patriots Day (2016)" is a tragic but true story that creates a seamless flow of real time and Re-enacted footage of the terrorist attack on Boston, which occurred on the 14th of April, 2013.The Acting was A-class (as expected) with the big names that came with it (Wahlberg, Goodman, Bacon, Monaghan and so on).
According to Wikipedia.com, "The biggest celebration of Patriots' Day is the Boston Marathon, which has been run every Patriots' Day since April 19, 1897 to mark the then-recently established holiday." The local and national pride exhibited on Patriots' Day took on new meaning after being attacked at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, an event depicted in the 2016 historical drama/thriller "Patriots Day" (R, 2:13).The film focuses on the people personally affected by the bombing.
Yang) who is bragging on the phone to his parents about his new SUV, MIT police officer Sean Collier (Jake Picking) who is making plans with some grad students to go to a concert, married couple Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky (Christopher O'Shea and Rachel Brosnahan) who are discussing their plans for the day, and Boston residents and radical Islamists Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Alex Wolfe and Themo Melikidze) who are making a plan which will disrupt the lives of all of those people, a plan which Tamerlan's wife (Melissa Benoist) may or may not know about beforehand.Early on Marathon Monday, Commissioner Davis is near the race's finish line and greets Sergeant Saunders, who is simply working security due to an injured knee.
Then the brothers run into local police in Watertown – on April 19th, the exact anniversary of that day in 1775 when the citizens of Massachusetts confronted foreigners whom they accused of terrorist acts."Patriots Day" is very well acted by its talented cast and perfectly paced by director Peter Berg (in the midst of his third collaboration with Wahlberg – after 2013's "Lone Survivor" and 2016's "Deepwater Horizon"), but this movie's main strength is its script by Berg, Matt Cook and Joshua Zeturner.
"Patriots Day" keeps a broad scope (combining the concepts for two proposed movies about the bombing and its aftermath, including one based on the 2015 book "Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy") which gives its audience a good overview of what happened, but tells the story from ground level, through the eyes of its main characters.
I couldn't really considerate on the movie most of the time, because I was trying to figure out if they were actually recording with good quality smart phones or not.I realize it is based on a true story and should get a "free pass", but I found it was very poorly done and it's like the director either just "phoned it in" or the director is simply a teenager who wants to break into the business with his first film and who is also the nephew of the top executive of a production company..
Mark Wahlberg was my biggest issue with this movie as he played a made up cop who just so happened to be at every big event that took place that week, spewing his over the top Boston accent and try to give some comic relief at the movies darkest points.
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.
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.
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.
Every viewer of the film will have their own answers to these questions, but clearly writer/director Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Lone Survivor) and Boston area native Mark Wahlberg believed now is the time and that this is the best way to re-create this catastrophe and its fallout.
The movie's main character is a Boston police officer played by Wahlberg who kind of just happens to be in the middle of the action all the time.
The movie plays out really nicely with no lulls in the action and no fluff scenes; they also use actual footage from that day in Boston that really bring the story together and solidify just how horrific it was.
Of course the story has to follow the real life sequence of events which I don't doubt it did, I just didn't think it was done in a very exciting or gripping way.Fine to celebrate the everyday heroism of ordinary average people when confronted by the unexpected, criminal and dangerous, but stretching it to a two hour movie didn't come off here..
At each important development in the story, the fictional Sergeant Tommy Saunders (played by Mark Wahlberg) appears, Forrest Gump-like, to steal the attention, credit and glory from the people who were actually there.Wahlberg gets so much screen time that the other actors / characters get lost in the background.
This is a Peter Berg-Mark Wahlberg collaboration and their previous two movies - Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon - were fairly one-dimensional offerings: based on true stories but extensively Hollywoodized with Mark Wahlberg playing the stereotypical, cartoonish hero.
Patriots day is a movie about the Boston marathon bombings in 2013, plotted by terrorists.
I am always attracted to movies with a true story like Hacksaw Ridge, and Deepwater Horizon which was also Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg teamed together as actor and director.
Berg and Wahlberg, the Dynamic Duo. Patriots Day, tells the in depth true story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the events that followed the incident, with a city wide manhunt for the individuals responsible.
Patriots Day, is directed by Peter Berg and stars Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon and J.K Simmons.
The events of the Boston Marathon deserved a caring and thorough portrayal on screen and this movie delivers in many praiseworthy ways.The bombing itself is shown but not too graphically.
How the movie crew got to Boston in time to film the live bombing, I am not sure.
The 3 stars are for the great acting especially from Mark Wahlberg who I love all his movies, plus the Love that was projected and shown between the people of Boston..
Amongst those that are tasked to take down the Boston bombers include Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg), Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman), Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon), and Watertown Police Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (J.K. Simmons).
Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze didn't have an easy job portraying the widely despised Tsarnaev brothers, but both actors should be credited with doing a terrific job.Peter Berg may have had some hits and misses as a director, but Patriot's Day is definitely one of his most memorable movies, right besides Friday Night Lights (2004), The Kingdom (2007) and Lone Survivor (2013).On a personal note, I've visited Boston in 2008 and 2014 and I've always had a memorable time visiting Boston.
Upon hearing about the Boston bombing in the news in 2013, my heart went out to the city and those killed and severely injured.To be perfectly honest, I thought Patriot's Day would be a run of the mill drama, however I was very surprised.
Patriots Day is a film based on the 2013 Boston marathon bombings by the Tsarnaev brothers.
But on the other hand, films are a good way of educating people on the events of a true story.
The premise of the film is based on the true story of the bombing of the 2013 Boston marathon and the hunt for the people that caused it.
John Goodman plays the police commissioner and he also does a great job, you can feel the emotion coming from him and also just how important catching these terrorists is to him and the people of Boston.
Patriots Day marks the director's third film on anti-terrorism, and while the film is a raw and gruesome retelling of a tragic event, it is also a humble and heartfelt tribute to the real-life heroes portrayed in this film.Widely known for the annually held oldest marathon in the world, the city of Boston took a devastating hit on 'Patriots' Day', 15th April 2013, following coordinated attacks by home grown terrorists.
Though Wahlberg anchors scenes of chaos and is practically everywhere in the film, his Officer Tommy Saunders is the only character who isn't based on a real person during the marathon bombings.
'Patriot's Day' follows the story of the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.
I thought writer/director Peter Berg did a fantastic job in telling the story of the event and the days that followed.
For that reason, what the movie gets right is its use of real film footage of the people and events.
It pays great tribute and portrays the horrific events of these day so well that it steers way away from undermining and disrespecting the true story.The performances from many especially Mark Wahlberg and craft from peter berg makes the movie top notch but lets be honest these aren't the factors to look at with a movie like this.
I was blown away it was phenomenally filmed very intriguing I'm quite surprised it wasn't up for major awards, I cried a little during the bombing bit I felt bad for what a lot of people had to go through.Their also seemed to be others complaining about things missing I'm not sure but I think Peter bergs take on everything is very intense especially the thrilling bits hunting down the terrorists I say just appreciate the way it is or don't & if anything was added I think it was done perfectly.Sorry about the way I describe things I do the best I can I'm a little quirky..
With Patriots Day, he seems to have his mojo back telling a big, largely true story about a terrorist bomb attack during the 2013 Boston Marathon and its aftermath and successfully approaching it from different fronts.Ironically, though very well received critically and also by the audiences that have seen it, commercially it pretty much tanked with a main reason commonly cited being the involvement of ( Boston-born) Mark Wahlberg playing a composite police officer character.
'Patriots Day' is another "based-on-real-events" film by Berg, after 'Lone Survivor' and 'Deepwater Horizon' - and this is just as good.
Not from Boston, or even America but watching the (for the most part - accurate) depiction of a city going through tragedy and turmoil but coming out with a sense of pride and togetherness to boost each other up and resist the fear and terror of the Boston Marathon Bombings was a remarkable thing to witness and it's a film that pays respect to the victims and their families in the most honorable way possible while still telling a cohesive story.
Inspired by true events, Mark Wahlberg plays police officer Tommy Saunders who's assigned by Commissioner Ed Davis (played by John Goodman) who patrol the street on the morning of the Boston Marathon.
With several casualties and many others rushed to the hospital, Saunders, Davis, along with Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (played by J.K Simmons) must collaborate with FBI agent Richard DesLauriers (played by Kevin Bacon) to hunt down the Muslim terrorists (played by Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze) responsible for the bombing.Peter Berg rarely pulls punches when re-imagining real-life events on screen (as demonstrated in his previous two films), nor does he take sheer sentimentality for granted which splashes in our faces during the final twenty minutes.
As jarring as it sounds, it partly accounts the brooding chemistry between these two as they steal the screen in not one, but two incredibly startling scenes during the final third.Peter Berg populates the story with a wide range of characters that the film rarely breathes any time to develop most of these characters other than Mark Wahlberg's Tommy Saunders and the aforementioned Muslim brothers.
That is doesn't however, reduce how dark and grim nature of their antagonistic characters.Patriots Day is a riveting tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, with an alluring direction by Peter Berg and a story set to inspire.
Patriots Day follows fictional Boston police sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) as he helps track down brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who detonated two bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon.
Patriots Day assumes the viewer already knows the basic events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Review: I really enjoyed this intense, and emotional movie, which explains in depth, what actually happened during the Boston Marathon bombing.
Enjoyable!Round-Up: Although this movie didn't smash the box office, for some unknown reason, director Peter Berg, 53, portrayed the true story very well, and he stayed true to the events that happened on Marathon Day. His previous projects include Very Bad Things, Welcome to the Jungle, Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Hancock, Battleship, Lone Survivor, and Deepwater Horizon.
The film is much more difficult to recommend to the average movie-goer for a casual Friday date night, but it is sure to start some much needed conversations that should be happening daily about the human spirit."Patriots Day" is an account of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis' 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.What Berg does extremely well is assemble a stellar ensemble cast, giving everyone their own assignment, each operating at their very best.
The story of Boston is recounted in Patriots Day. Sergeant Tommy Saunders (played by Mark Wahlberg) was one of many police officers that were assigned to the Boston Marathon finish line.
That is no way a bad thing, as Patriots Day is still a good movie, possibly better then Deepwater Horizon.