“Patriots Day” is filled with tension and suspense

BY

“Patriots Day” is another day that will live in infamy. It was almost four years ago, when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Although some may say it exploits the tragedy and others say it’s just too soon, director Peter Berg respectfully honors the courage, compassion and dedication of “Boston Strong.”

Boston native Mark Wahlberg was originally against the movie and turned down the role. After reading the script, he realized he is one of the few who could make the movie right, which he did. The docudrama shows enough of the bombing to illustrate the plan, assault and carnage, but most of the picture focuses on the solid, methodical police work that sifted through thousands of clues and leads to find a needle in the haystack.

As we know now, the terrorists were Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Themo Melikidze, Alex Wolff), two self-radicalized Chechan brothers determined to cause as much devastation, harm and fear as possible. Tamerlan, the older brother, was the embodiment of Satan without the charm. We’re not sure why Dzhokhar was so eager to follow, but clearly was willing and able to join in this dastardly terrorist attack.

Although most of the events were all too fresh on our minds, the film is filled with tension and suspense from start to finish. We feel helpless and vulnerable during the chaos and confusion. Then, we regain a sense of confidence with the serious and purposeful team of local and federal law enforcement officials as they close in on the culprits.

This began as the story of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, not to be confused with former LAPD Chief Ed Davis. Each role was to portray a real character associated with that event. For clarity and continuity, the writing team created the fictitious character, Sgt. Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg), a hard-nosed detective, reluctantly working the finish line in full uniform, “This uniform looks like a clown outfit!”

Saunders becomes part of the investigative team from the initial explosions to the citywide manhunt to the eventual capture. In all the mayhem and confusion, various first responders work toward a common purpose. We feel the spirit of cooperation as Saunders sets aside his personal objectives and Davis (John Goodman) yields jurisdiction to the FBI, led by Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon).

Viewing video from stores and smart phones at the makeshift command center, analysts watch tens of thousands of spectators to spot unusual activity. The FBI must quickly separate the many false leads. They also recognize that reckless conclusions could negatively impact their investigation and/or those wrongly accused.

These cold, heartless killers carried out their despicable act in the name of religion. Their plan was to hit Times Square with additional pressure cooker bombs they had built. It is fitting that Tamerlan was killed, not by the police, but run over by Dzhokhar while he was trying to escape. The chase ends in the Boston suburb of Watertown, where Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese (J.K. Simmons) helps lead his sleepy town’s force into battle.

Berg effectively uses actual footage spliced into his filmed version to add a sense of realism and authenticity of the story. The pace is constant and brisk. Wahlberg is all in to representing his town, and the casting call for extras formed a quarter mile long line.

“Patriots Day” is 133 minutes and rated R for violence, graphic injury images and language. This is a tribute to the first responders, survivors, investigators and all the people of Boston. For them, this is not just another “wawk in the pawk.” Their marathon has been held every year since 1897 on their state holiday called Patriot’s Day.

It’s curious that each terrorist act is self-defeating. They are designed to drive us apart. But, through suffering and heroism, the acts actually unite us more than ever, Boston Strong! When the perpetrators were caught, the entire city of Boston did something not too many cities do these days. They held a parade to salute and cheer the police.

Ron’s Rating: B Leigh’s Rating: B