Patriots Day

Recounting the details and events surrounding the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon, Homicide Detective Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) finds himself at ground zero in the midst of chaos as the city reacts from a terrorist act bent on striking fear in the public’s mind. In a city strong as Boston, finding the responsible parties is just a matter of time. Fresh off the warpath of Deepwater Horizon the prolific Director Peter Berg has wasted no time in grinding out another historically detailed look at modern American history. Touting a respected cast including John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, and Kevin Bacon and marked with the unsettling score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross the assembled pieces fit together in a gripping and haunting form. Naturally some fictionalization and condensing has occurred to bring this story to the screen, regardless, as a marker of what law enforcement in a post 9/11 world can be, Patriots Day stands with expected patriotic results peppered with just enough levity and love. And, while not all the story lines featured seem to carry the same heft, their added weight doesn’t terribly bloat the film either. Worthy of your time if you’re ready to hear the story, Patriots Day is rated R.