I feel like Peter Berg has almost created his own genre of films over the past few years. He takes very recent and topical true stories and portrays them with a level of realism that is extremely impressive. I was surprised to see that in the span of a couple of months he was coming out with two new films: Deep Water Horizon, about the BP oil spill, and Patriots Day. For me, he proved his talent both with Lone Survivor and Deep Water Horizon and I’m get excited for anything he takes on.

     I think for what it is, Patriots Day succeeds with the tough material it decides to tackle. I know this movie has been somewhat controversial because of how soon it’s been released after the real-life events. Also, Mark Wahlberg’s character is a fictional police officer and some have said that they find it disrespectful that the filmmakers made that choice. I remember when these events happened but I wasn’t there and I’m not from Boston so I can’t speak for those people but to me, Patriots Day is an extremely respectful depiction of the Boston bombings.

     I can’t definitively say whether this movie was needed or not and whether it was released too soon after the bombings. We absolutely would have gotten a movie about this in the future but I don’t know when the right time to make it would have been. On one hand, I think the events are still fresh in our minds and bring up a lot of issues that are still applicable to what is happening today. However, maybe it would have been smart to wait and see how the meaning of that day and the manhunt that followed changes and develops over time. I think Peter Berg is the exact director you need for movie like this. His films always feel very authentic and honor the victims of these tragedies. In that case, we might have not gotten a person like him to helm the project if it came out later. In the end, it probably wasn’t necessary quite yet. However, it’s an impressive movie, especially when considering the weight of its subject.

     In terms of Wahlberg’s character, I can see why people get mad that he’s fictionalized. The movie needed his character though. He served as a through line throughout the story that kept you invested and attached to the events that were playing out.

     The two strongest elements of the film are the realism of it and the tension Berg is able to build even though you know the outcome of everything. There’s a lot of clever editing in the movie that combines cinematic shots with both surveillance and hand-held video footage(some is real and some was made just for the movie). It makes it feel like the movie is reporting and educating you on what happened rather than trying to entertain. I was shocked how many times I was on the edge of my seat during Patriots Day. It’s very hard to build suspense when you already know the result but Berg once again does it.

     The ending of the film was fantastic. It’s extremely emotional and reminds you of the power of solidarity. It is inspiring to see everyone band together under such terrible circumstances. The interviews with the real-life victims help remind you of the power of the human spirit and the last shot in particular overwhelmed me. I think it served almost as the cherry on top to show people that Patriots Day was made to honor and tell the stories of the victims.

     The major criticism I have with the film is that because it feels so much like a docudrama, it seems to drag in a few sections. It’s one of those films I’m glad I got the chance to see and learn more about but will probably never revisit.

     In my opinion Patriots Day respectfully retells the tragic Boston marathon bombing. I think it’s an important film that people should go out to see and support. I give it 8/10.