Waste of time

Absolutely Brilliant!

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

After watching Patriots Day I'm honestly lost for words. Im struggling to think of things to say. Patriots Day isn't only an emotional drama, its also a tribute to all those who died in the bombings. It doesn't make a blockbuster out of these tragic events. It tells the story in an incredibly gritty way.Mark Wahlberg gives the best performance of his career as a boston police officer who has to deal with these attacks everyday throughout the man hunt. Several scenes stand out throughout the film. The best in my opinion are a shootout in Watertown and a scene where the bombers kidnap an innocent man. They are done in a suspenseful and tense way that make them some of the most gripping scenes I've ever seen.Overall, Patriots day deserves to be watched. Its only flaw is, I can't see myself watching it more than once because it is so dramatic the first time roundI've never really cried at a film...this was the first time that's happened XD

Hollywood is founded upon the idea of producing films that entertain audiences and make money. At the end of the day it is always about the money. An unfortunate, and frankly sickening, side effect of this cornerstone of entertainment is that when tragedy strikes, often times there is a film made about said tragedy. While some involved are I'm sure simply looking to honor the memories of those lost and do justice in telling their story, more often than not the events the film is based upon are embellished and glamorized. This is not the case of this film. This film does an amazing job of presenting the audience with the main characters, their families, motivations, faults and immediately make the audience connect and care for the characters. Mark Wahlberg gives one of the best and most versatile performances of his career as Boston cop Tommy Saunders, a man with his fair share of faults but with a heart of a servant who wants to protect his family and the city of Boston as a whole. Supported by a talented secondary cast led by John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, and J.K. Simmons as well as early performances of up-and-coming stars Lana Condor and Alex Wolff, this film's casting director did a great job of finding those who actually look like their real-life counterparts. Another aspect of this film that director Peter Berg did well was the building of tension in each scene. Through sound, camera movement and angles, and lighting, as each moment passed, the tension grew and I was hooked in from the beginning. A testament to filmmaking done right, Patriots Day is a patriotic film that goes against the Hollywood norm and tells this true story faithfully and honoring all of those involved.

Depicting real life events and portraying them for the purpose of entertainment can feel exploitative. Utilising the innocence and helplessness of lives within a tragedy could be illustrated in a way that feels excessively melodramatic. Whilst this film does occasionally suffer from exploitation, overall it's an incredibly powerful window that openly views the sheer bravery and determination of an entire city. A dramatisation of the 2013 Boston marathon bombings where policing individuals are tasked with hunting down the terrorists. Berg and Wahlberg continue their trend of interpreting recent events in a motion picture, with this entry easily being their most formidably challenging depiction. Berg seamlessly balances humanistic melancholy that evokes powerful emotions with thrillingly realistic action sequences to create an involving film. Boston becomes this microcosm for America. A city's resilience is translated across the sprawling country. It's not just specific individuals hunting down the culprits, it's a nation tackling the ever growing issue or terrorism. Radicalisation that is endangering the lives of many. Berg captures the essence of Boston, a tough hearty city, and powers it through his direction. His technical assurance elevates the confidence of what the film is attempting to dramatise. It is moving. It is powerful. It is relentless. His consistent use of combining real footage, particularly the film's ending, with Wahlberg's solid performance only enhances the gritty realism of the pressurised hours after the event. I appreciate the moment of reflection from the survivors, however it does come across as emotionally manipulative thus detracting from the nuanced tone. The surprise really comes from the "plot", where the attention is primarily focused on detailing the police and investigative work that preceded the explosions. The immediate pressure from governmental entities and media presence heightens the tension rapidly and instantly draws you in. Impressively patriotic and unexplotative.

'Patriot's Day (2017)' is a tad overlong and sometimes unfocused. It's usually engaging, though, and provides a fairly realistic look at a relatively recent terror-attack. It manages to shed some light on the events that occurred whilst also portraying a compelling account of teamwork triumphing over adversity. It does dip a little too deep into that 'Boston patriotism' that seems to come up every-time a film is set in that particular city, though this time it might actually be sort of worth it. Overall, this is compelling stuff. 7/10