Movie Review – Patriots Day (2017)

Kevin Bacon as Special FBI Agent Richard DesLauriers and Richard DeLauriers

J.K. Simmons as Watertown Police Sergeant Jeffrey Puglese

Melissa Benoist as Katherine Russell (Photo by Leslie Dianne taken at PaleyFest at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, March 18, 2017)

In July 2012, my then 15-year-old daughter attended a three week summer program at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. It was something that I had not considered before, but after her father’s sudden death in May 2012 from an undiagnosed Pulmonary Embolism, it turned out to be a great decision. She made new friends from all over the world, completed different academic classes in the mornings and participated in activities such as sailing and sports in the afternoons. One of the benefits of going to Portsmouth Abbey School was the opportunity to visit Boston on several different field trips. She fell in love with the city and all the different cultural, enrichment and recreational activities that were available in Boston.

She also had several friends who were present at the marathon on Monday, April 15, 2013 and she later wore a “Boston Strong” t-shirt to show her support for Boston. When she heard that there was a movie coming out about the bombings at the marathon, she wanted to see it on the first day it was released.

What I found most captivating about this film is that it follows the main characters from the hours before the marathon through to the capture of the suspected terrorists. You get to see the action from the view of the police, the terrorists and the victims of this horrific event.

Boston native Mark Wahlberg not only stars in Patriots Day but also serves as a Producer for the film. Everyone in the cast does a remarkable job portraying real people. Since the movie is about a terrorist attack, there is a lot of graphic footage. At some times during the movie, I had to turn my head in different scenes. But I feel that it is necessary to include these images since it is an actual event that involved so many people.

I also was caught up in the intense emotions as the film played out and the hunt for the attackers continued. There were some people and events included in the movie that I had forgotten about, such as the college student who was kidnapped by the two brothers, but my daughter remembered. Overall, Patriots Day was an excellent movie that I think every American should see.

Note:  I found the following article from the Boston Globe online and it contains information and pictures of some of the actual individuals portrayed in the movie: