Tackling and translating a serious issue like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings on film, while being both true to the story, emotional and poignant at the same time is a challenge right from the starting line, but it’s one that Patriots Day does with beauty and spectacle. The Peter Berg-directed film is both gripping, emotional and terrifying, but Berg also figures out how to balance gripping terror with a bright sense of optimism, even with a dash of comedy. Patriots Day isn’t necessarily an ‘entertaining’ movie, and that’s of course due to its terrifying story and nature, but it’s a film that poignant and perfect in the story that is important to tell over. The events of Patriots Day are true to their source and Berg allows the emotion to unfold from all sides, and while the story is drenched in fear, the film will also leave you hopeful.
The events of the marathon bombing were caused by two ‘lone wolves’. It wasn’t an organized terrorist attack, but it was an act of cowardice by two young men looking to shake up the system. While their cowardice inflicted terror to the lives of the innocent, love and bravery struck back almost instantly, and the film reminds the audience that even in Boston’s darkest hour, there was still a beacon of light to be found by those who came together and stronger than ever to unite against hate. The film tackles big subjects like the fear, emotion, bravery and cowardice all in the film, truly doing a justice to the story. It doesn’t pave over details, but it gives us insight into the events that unfolded while balancing the film’s difficult and most emotional moments.
Led by great performances by a star-studded cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, J.K Simmons, Kevin Bacon and Melissa Benoist to name a few, the story painted within the film is realistic and gripping, and largely, terrifying. Berg knows how to recreate the drama in a way that’s presentable on-screen, bringing the audience right into the action of the events how they played out in 2013. The events of the film are predicable and known of course, but that’s the film’s biggest strengths, and they shine more insight into the story than you may have known going in. It’s true to its source material and doesn’t sabotage the actual events for the sake of the film, and the attention to detail that Berg and his team bring to this film are what make it such an incredible spectacle.
When the film isn’t drenched in horror, it also tries to balance out the movie with its lighter aspects like it’s brimming sense of optimism and at times it’s light comedy. It also shows that evil is never simply defined, and that if we come together in the world’s darkest moments than light can always be found. Patriots Day might be one of the year’s most frightening films, but it’s also one of its most optimistic yet. It’s an important story that reminds us in our darkest moments, hate can only be conquered by our unity. Whether the marathon bombing impacted you personally or you watched it unfold over the news, Patriots Day is a film that is important to watch, cherish and remember, and that always, light can always be found in the darkest of times.
Patriots Day is now playing in theaters nationwide.
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