Thought this was a great movie. Very well done. People that deserve credit got it. Hats off to everyone behind Patriots Day
Unfortunately, Katharine Q. Seelye's article "'Patriots Day' Disconnect Between Bostonians and the Rest of Us" does not appear to be accepting comments. She wrote, "But what I’ve found is that moviegoers outside New England pretty much accept the film on its own terms, as entertainment, and Bostonians do not." Recreating these events for the purposes of "entertainment" is the real problem with this movie. How sick do you have to be to find this entertaining? A documentary is one thing. Attempting to make money and "entertain" folks by recreating such traumatic events -- which were CRIMINAL acts as well as terror-inducing -- is simply disgusting.
2
Enough already. As others have mentioned, I would like to point out almost every single time some idiot(s) commit a treasonous act against anywhere commits a horrendous crime in the US, Hollywood pounces on it. Whether it is 3 people killed or 3000 (IE: 9/11) (since it occurred on US soil), it has to be dramatized for the masses. Why? Because it seems more realistic, that's why. It is a premise of the most boring, simplistic ideas a filmmaker can come up with. Let me give you the recipe: (1) Pick a tragedy (it must occur in the US, however) (2) Do close ups on a few individuals with police, military or medical jobs (3) Create a love interest between the top male and female lead actors (4) Make sure they become separated during most of the film (5) Have the previously mentioned couple find each other; usually in the last few minutes of the film, and (6) Last, but certainly not least "good" triumphs over "evil". Job's done! Whether it is Pearl Harbor, Oklahoma City, Columbine, CO, 9/11, ISIS, or whatever, it is an incredibly simplistic plot. A film does not approach how palpable it is for the people who lived in, on or near the tragedy in question. My office was less than 1 mile from the WTC on (/11. I lost 2 friends there, 1 of which was a very close friend who was an FDNY Captain. I watched every minute of it from the roof of my office. I remember the burned plastic smell which lasted for weeks. I am sure the people in Boston, Oklahoma City and Hawaii (if alive) feel similar.
1
Not every single time does Holllywood pounce on a horrendous crime in America. In Newtown, CT on December 14, 2012 twenty innocent first grade children and 6 teachers were gunned down. There's been no film on this and hopefully there never will be.
Reading some of the comments, I guess I was not aware of wahlbergs "racist and violent past." Disappoint if if true.
My objection is not whether it is well made or even totally accurate. I think it's exploitive and worse, supports the notions of increased surveillance of American citizens, Muslim registry and the excessive abuse of "law enforcement" that Trumpolini and his minions espouse. I feel deeply for the victims of this horrible attack but I resent this filmmaker and others who will follow with similar films. They have the right to make them but I will not watch. Wahlberg, whom I like generally, should know better.
They shut the city down and got the disgusting people that did this and I am happy with the result
Anyone who says they won't see the movie based on the trailer is doing themselves a terrible disservice. As someone who lived through 9/11 terrors attacks in Manhattan , couldn't stop weeping. I saw this in an ultra hip movie theater in Austin but at the end couldn't hear a pin drop from the audience.
2
Wont see. The trailer was so corny and cliche I decided right then to never watch this film. Boston deserves better.
2
I reacted exactly as you did to the trailer. When I saw Mark Walhberg say something like "They messed with the wrong city," myself and many others in the theater let out a collective groan. But after reading this review I may reconsider. I also have been a bit put off by the fetishization of this strategy and the need for some from Boston to use it as a way to remind everyone else how strong and brace they are in the face of tragedy. Granted, this was an unspeakable act, but as a New Yorker who remembers 9/11 like it was yesterday, I had had it up to hear with the Boston tragedy orgy, for some on the Boston media who obsessed with the narrative of what heroic people live in their city, I couldn't help thinking of the thousands lost at the World Trade Center
Had the same thought. The movie is far better than the trailer. The trailer just looked corny. The movie itself is very good.
I have no doubt that for many in the Boston area, these events still feel painful and raw, and that has to be respected. But I don't think the movie is exploitative, unless one believes that it's exploitative simply by virtue of being made only 3 years after the event. That's a debate you could have but I don't know if there's a right answer--would 5 years be OK? 10? Would some argue that a movie like this should never be made? Then how about war movies? Movies that portray an infamous crime?