Patriots Day offers a stirring, solidly crafted tribute to the heroes of a real-life American tragedy without straying into exploitative action thriller territory. Read critic reviews
Patriots Day
2016, Crime/Drama, 2h 10m
239 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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Movie Info
Tragedy strikes on April 15, 2013, when two bombs explode during the Boston Marathon. In the aftermath of the attack, police Sgt. Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg), FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon) and Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) join courageous survivors, first responders and other investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the suspects and bring them to justice.
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Rating: R (Language Throughout|Graphic Injury Images|Some Drug Use|Violence)
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Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & thriller
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Original Language: English
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Director: Peter Berg
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Producer: Scott Stuber, Dylan Clark, Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Hutch Parker, Dorothy Aufiero, Michael Radutzky
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Writer: Peter Berg, Matthew Cook, Joshua Zetumer
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $31.8M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: CBS Films, Lionsgate Films
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Critic Reviews for Patriots Day
Audience Reviews for Patriots Day
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A streamlined thriller that could very easily have strayed into treacly Movie-of-the-Week territory in less assured hands, the efficient and effective Patriots Days gives filmgoers a moving account of true events that ultimately celebrates - not exploits - its human core. This R-rated drama based on real events presents the story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible. The narrative moves laterally between the points of view of victims, policemen, federal agents, terrorists, and health providers but make no mistake about it--this is a detective story that ultimately hones in on one central character. Indeed, Patriots Day is a Who-Done-It with a true blue American tragedy at its center. Granted, the 'true' part is, at times, nebulous. Several real-life law enforcement figures featured in the book Boston Strong by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge get pared down into one All-American Hero, an earnest Boston patrolman with a bad knee and self-doubt. Truthfully, they had to give this character some flaws because he's played by Mark Wahlberg, who has already played real-life people (All the Money in the World), All-American Heroes (Invincible), Bostonians (Ted), cops (We Own the Night), and sometimes a role that checks a good number of these boxes at one time (The Perfect Storm, The Fighter, The Departed). His casting alone could've earmarked Patriots Day as something boring, routine, or -worse - potentially pantomime, but Wahlberg's character ultimately and believably becomes the audience's eyes and ears because his performance doesn't involve wearing a heart on his sleeve...not much, at least. In fact, the entire production - casting included - seems to be one controlled environment. Though the harrowing events depicted are very visceral, they come from straight-forwardness and not sentimentality. Emotions get stirred but it doesn't feel like one's strings are being pulled. Oh, there's definitely string pulling happening, but it doesn't feel like a blatant exercise. All involved mostly let the facts speak for themselves and that's what makes Patriots Day stand out as an A-Grade ripped-from-the-headlines thriller. Sure, a very complex, weeks-spanning story gets boiled down into one two hour and fifteen-minute film but it is neither dull nor dismissive of the details. Peter Berg deserves much of the credit here. A reputable director able to turn out dark comedies (Very Bad Things), hard-hitting dramas (Friday Night Lights), and summer blockbusters (Hancock), his CV recently zeroed in on a specific bent: fact-based thrillers starring Mark Wahlberg. Thankfully, following the disappointingly unthrilling exercise known as Lone Survivor, their collaboration yielded the solid and suspenseful Deepwater Horizon. This paved the way for their most satisfying collaboration yet, Patriots Day. Sure, he stacks the deck with recognizable stars (J.K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin Bacon, and John Goodman are among the cast), but he never lets them get too showy aside from an occasionally arch line reading (at one point, Bacon's G-Man states, "He needs to walk like them, talk like them...walk into a tornado and walk out the other side like it's a gentle fucking breeze"). Thanks to Berg, the master string-puller behind the curtain, it all nonetheless works exceedingly well. To Sum It Up: Boston Strong
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Intense, exciting and terrifying account of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the hunt for the culprits in the days after. Even though the film sticks to the most important characters involved and follows events almost in the style of a documentary it does pack quite the emotional punch. Great cast and direction makes for a pretty emotional ride. Of course you gotta have the message of Bostonian unity in the end, but given the circumstances, that's quite alright.
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Despite less-than-compelling performances and a lack of artistic perspective, "Patriot's Day" packs an emotional punch on a visceral level. I found the time spent watching the film was rewarding.
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Berg & Wahlberg, once more, help shed light on a dark time in history. Patriots Day does well in depicting evenly the tragedy and drama behind the events from April 2013 while also highlighting the heart and captivating courage of those who were victims and those who responded; sending a heartfelt and respectful acknowledgment in the process. 4.5/5
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