At the same time, "Patriots Day" is a damn good movie and one you need to put on your list. It is a painstaking depiction of the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013 and the subsequent capture of the two assholes responsible. You relive every single moment of that fateful week through precise re-enactments with the occasional inclusion of archival footage. Indeed, you feel the pain all over again and it's a credit to the work of director Peter Berg and star/producer Mark Wahlberg who bleeds Boston.
Even though this stuff happened almost four years ago, it all seemed new to me. I had forgotten there were three fatalities from the blast. I had also blanked out on the fact that these two scumbags killed a Boston cop. Hey, maybe it's because we had a couple of more events just like that in the past three plus years. Yes, I hear you, President Trump.
The really fascinating part of this film for me was the focus on the two shitheads responsible for this mess. You follow their every action and I was stunned to see just how stupid these terrorists were. Complete amateurs that could easily be your next door neighbors. Yes, I hear you again, President Trump.
The attention to detail extends to the casting when the real folks involved show up for a ten minute mini-documentary at the end. You see how much cast members Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, and J.K. Simmons look like their real-life counterparts. Additionally, the words of the actual surviving victims who lost their limbs provide a poignant end to this well-done film.
If "Patriots Day" trips up ever so slightly is with Mark Wahlberg's lead character of a beleaguered Boston policeman with bad knees. I think this guy is a composite of multiple cops and, because Wahlberg is the star and producer, this character seems to be everywhere in the story. He is standing several feet away from one of the explosions. He happens to be the patrolman doing a drive-by to find the carjack victim of the two idiot terrorists. And he also winds up on the scene in the final Watertown, Massachusetts shoot-out. He is the Forrest Gump of this tale and, with all the other fine authenticity, this feels a little false.
But don't let that stop you from seeing this marvelous recounting of a moment in our history that should not be forgotten. And don't be surprised if you find yourself sitting behind some guy with big orange hair who is tweeting his gleeful reaction all the way through the movie.
LEN'S RATING: Three-and-a-half stars.
Dinner last night: Had a big lunch so just a sandwich and some salad.
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