PATRIOTS DAY

US, 2016, 133 minutes, Colour.
Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher O' Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Jimmy O. Yang, Melissa Benoist, Alex Wolffe, Themo Melikidze, Michael Beach.
Directed by Peter Berg.

It is sometimes surprising how quickly actual events make their way to a big budget film, especially in the US. Patriots’ Day, the story of the Boston Marathon of 2013, the terrorists who planted explosives, killing and injuring bystanders, and putting the city of Boston into lockdown during the pursuit of the perpetrators.

Some commentators say that this kind of thing is opportunistic, taking advantage of the opportunity. However, this film is very careful to draw on actual characters and aspects of the events, especially with the real characters appearing at the end of the film discussing the issues, the police, the FBI investigator, and a young couple both of whom were injured, treated in different hospitals, had a leg amputated. The film then offers tributes to those who acted in heroic ways.

But, for the drama’s sake, the central character is a fictitious policeman, drawing on various characters on the day and its aftermath. Perhaps Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were not available for the film but Boston’s other famous son, Mark Wahlberg, plays the policeman. While the screenplay follows him, his character, his involvement, his contribution to the apprehension of the terrorists, there is quite a lot more going on. But, his story gets the audience in the mood, seeing him involved in a raid, injuring his leg on a recalcitrant door, his time in hospital, his love for his wife, Michelle Monaghan, his relationship with the police chief, John Goodman, and his being ragged by his fellow police because of his rather challenging attitude towards authority. On the day, he is on duty, joked about because of his uniform looking like a crossing guard, at the finishing line.

The film holds the attention – but, in some ways, it is several films in one.

The first part of the film is really Boston’s preparation for the marathon, the logistics of setting up the route, the officials and their role, the assembling of the runners, the role of security, the crowds arriving, the running...

The screenplay uses the device of signalling on-screen the particular times on the day of the marathon, and then listing the hours that have passed since the explosions, over a period of several days. This also gives the opportunity to introduce a range of characters, police, Mayor, Massachusetts Governor, the runners, the young couple who were to be injured – and, especially, the brothers, the terrorists, at home, with the family, breakfast, the packing of the explosives and their setting out on their mission.

Then there is the terrorism, the explosions, the uncertainties, the fear, the reaction of the crowds, the visuals of those injured, a policeman standing guard for the day over the covered body of a young boy, the ambulances, the work in hospitals, the pressures and difficulties, amputations.

While local police are involved in the investigations, it becomes a task for the FBI, Kevin Bacon as the official in charge, rather stony-faced (especially in comparison with the more genial real person who appears at the end of the film). The investigation is shown in quite some detail, taking over a warehouse, the drawing of the route on the floor, individual officers involved in scanning CCTV. Mark Wahlberg gets a chance to become involved when it is pointed out that he is an expert in knowledge of the local streets – and it is intriguing to watch his suggestions about the route of the suspects, who are glimpsed on CCTV with their black cap, white cap, and where they might have walked from, how much time, looking to the next camera and tracing their route.

The investigation continues during the next phase of the film which is the pursuit of the criminals themselves, their packing up, their plan to go to New York for more explosions, their taking a car, driving to Watertown with the role of the police there, and J. K. Simmons in charge. The terrorists take a hostage from the street, a young Chinese- American (and this actually happened), who was able to get out of the car, hide in a supermarket while the younger terrorist is buying food, and phoning the authorities. There is a huge shootout in the street and the older brother is killed.

The younger brother disappears and, those familiar with the story, may remember that he hid for several days in the suburbs under a tarpaulin covering a boat in the yard, ultimately caught and, again, a shootout. In the meantime, there is also an interesting episode where the wife of the terrorist is brought in for questioning, a very tough interrogator respecting Muslim dress and manners but extremely menacing nonetheless.

In an era of terrorism, it is interesting, if often distressing, to see the re-creations of these well-known episodes. The Boston experience was not as dire as the terrorism in Paris, Brussels, Nice, Istanbul, Berlin…, but significant nonetheless, especially the terrorism on US soil after 911. Many audiences may be thinking – and at one moment the screenplay makes this explicit – that people in war-ravaged countries, especially Syria, experience this kind of devastation day by day, more extremely so, the effects on individuals, families, injuries and deaths, destruction of buildings, and the extraordinary demands made on doctors, nurses and medical personnel. Sobering.


1. The historical events? People? A perspective on 2013, USA? The fiction elements, the facts?

2. An opportunity to look at the events after three years? The time, so soon? American terrorism? Responses?

3. The city of Boston, the place of the Marathon, the spirit, the crowds and participants, onlookers? The police and security? The explosions, the treatment of the victims, the care? Local police and investigations? The FBI? The methods? The pursuit of the bombers, shootouts, Boston lockdown?

4. The range of genres in the one film? The shift from one genre to the other? The effect? Cumulative?

5. The ending, the reality of the characters, the events? The tributes?

6. The director, his skill in action film? The cast – and their corresponding to actual characters? Mark Wahlberg and his being a Bostonian?

7. The title, the focus on the day, the Marathon itself, the crowds, the preparation, the range of logistics, the runners and their range and differences? Participation? Celebrities and celebration?

8. The films device of having the times on screen, building up to the explosion, the explosion and listing the hours after it?

9. The introduction, the different times, the range of people introduced, Tom and his work, bashing down the door, hurting his knee, going to hospital? Carol and her concern? Ed Davis and the other authorities? The families? The couple and their preparation for the day, comments on pronunciation? Sgt Jeffrey Pugliese, his wife and the muffin? The terrorists at home, the brothers, the wife and child, watching the television? The young Chinese man? The MIT students and the robot, the sympathetic policeman? The day progressing?

10. Tom, the fictional character, his attitude towards authority, outbursts, fellow police, the jokes, his injury? The challenge for him to be reinstated? On security at the finishing line? Getting his wife to bring the help for his leg? The mayor, the governor? Tom and his surveillance, the jokes, his wife coming?

11. The MIT students, the robot, the work amongst themselves, the policeman, arranging the date?

12. Young Chinese man, discussing technology, the apps?

13. People arriving for the marathon, the couple, the father with his three-year-old son…?

14. The terrorists, at home, the wife and child, the brothers, their interactions, argumentative, each dominating in their way, the younger man in his drug background, his studies, the preparation of the bombs, watching the television, the plan, travelling to the race? The ideological motivation?

15. The friends of the bomber, at the university, drugs, texting, watching the TV, deciding not to give any information, the later information that they were charged with obstruction?

16. The suddenness of the explosion, its effect, visually, the boy dying, covered and the policeman standing guard? Panic, injuries? Tom, the work of the police, the crowds, concern about his wife, the medics, the ambulances, the severed limbs, the hospitals and surgery, the pressures, time, amputations, the separation of family victims – and the later being reunited?

17. The work of the local police, Ed Davis and his role, Tom and his assertiveness? The arrival of the FBI, the officer in charge, his being stern, the issue of jurisdictions? The role of the media? Finding the large space, the layout, the use of the floor for diagrams of what happened? Laying out the evidence, the map of the streets? Technology, phones, desks, surveillance and the video footage, those watching? Tom, his advice about witnesses? His being called in because of his knowledge of streets, the surveillance identifying the terrorists, working out the routes, the time taken, finding the surveillance footage? The white cap and the black? The two men seen as being linked? The big issue of whether to release the photos to the media or not, waiting, Fox News and breaking the images? The press conference, the FBI chief and the explanations and appeal to the public?

18. The policeman outside MIT, the girl coming out, the date, his being shot?

19. Pugliese, his background, in Watertown, quiet place, the work of the police?

20. The brothers, at home, the wife, the clash, going out to buy the milk, on the video camera? The decision to move, the car and the explosives, to go to New York? Abducting the young Chinese man, hostage, his fear, control, the getting petrol, food in the shop, the young man making his escape, flight, hiding, phoning the police? The immediate follow-up?

21. The brothers bickering amongst themselves? Mutual blame? Watertown, the range of police, their becoming involved, following the cars, the shooting, the bombs exploding, the deaths? The death of the brother? The other escaping?

22. The calling in of the wife, the expert interrogator, her dress, Muslim customs, the threats, her questions – and not getting anything out of the wife, the wife’s defiance?

23. The lockdown of Boston, identifying the fingerprints of the terrorist in the surgery, identifying him?

24. The visuals of the lockdown, Boston quiet, the streets? The man with the boat, suspicious, phoning the police, their arrival?

25. The siege of the boat, the weapons, capturing the terrorist?

26. The experience of the city, the interviews with the characters at the end, especially the couple and their reflections, the photos of the actual people? The experience of terrorism in the US? The reminder of the daily equivalents in other countries like Syria? The American response?