Chronicling the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and its intense aftermath, this is a heavy-handed, by-the-numbers action-thriller focused on how a community heroically responded to an act of terror. Assigned to duty on the finish line, feisty Police Sgt. Jimmy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) has a sore knee so he phones his wife (Michelle Monaghan) to bring him his brace. Meanwhile, two Muslim rebels, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (Themo Melikidze, Alex Wolff), are calmly making nail-filled bombs and loading them into their backpacks. When the explosions occur, predictable pandemonium ensues as first responders rush in to help, inadvertently separating families by dispatching victims to different hospitals. Inevitably, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) clashes with the FBI's Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon) during the methodical four-day investigation and subsequent manhunt, particularly over the decision of when to release the terrorists' photos to the media. Saunders seems to be everywhere, and is obviously a composite character, superficially incorporating the heroism of several different Boston cops. The most interesting character here is Dun Meng (Jimmy O. Yang), the young Chinese immigrant who was carjacked by the Chechen brothers. Escaping from their clutches, Dun called 911, revealing the terrorists' intention to take more bombs to New York and directing them to the shootout in Watertown. Directed by Peter Berg, this flawed docudrama is a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Boston Strong” true stories (22 min.), and a “Researching the Day” production featurette (12 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes segments “The Boston Bond: Recounting the Tale” (22 min.), “The Real Patriots: The Local Heroes' Stories” (20 min.), “Actors Meet Their Real Life Counterparts” (19 min.), and “The Cast Remembers” (5 min.), as well as bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a rote real-life thriller that nevertheless has its powerful moments.] (S. Granger)
Patriots Day
Lionsgate, 133 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $39.99, Mar. 28 Volume 32, Issue 2
Patriots Day
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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