Movie Reaction: Patriots Day

Formula: (Deepwater Horizon – Oil Drilling + Running) / United 93

Peter Berg knows what he does well. He likes true stories, preferably about everyday heroes (Marines, blue-collar workers, cops). He doesn't shoot films with judgment. His films are shot as well as their edited. He doesn't let a single character take over the story. That was true with Deepwater Horizon. That was true of Lone Survivor. And, that is true of his latest film.

Patriots Day tells the story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the ensuing manhunt for the men who caused it. It begins shortly before the marathon. We meet several, seemingly unconnected characters: a Boston police sergeant (Mark Wahlberg) who has to work security at the finish line of the race to get off the commissioner’s shit list; a young couple (Rachel Brosnahan and Christopher O'Shea) getting afternoon drinks; a Chinese immigrant (Jimmy O. Yang) living on his own in Boston; a police officer at MIT (Jake Picking) trying to get a date with one of the students; the sheriff (J.K. Simmons) of Watertown [outside Boston], getting a muffin for his wife; a suburban Muslim family (Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidtze, Melissa Benoist) up to something nefarious. Others too. Of course, their stories collide over time as events unfold. I remembered very little about the actual events, so it was unnerving waiting to find out where their stories intersect. I imagine it still plays well if you remember every beat, since the tension is baked into the story. The narrative doesn't rely on any single person to drive it. The actors in the large and continually growing ensemble show up and disappear as needed. For example, Khandi Alexander turns up toward the very end for one dynamite scene and that's it.

Berg's management of all those people and stories is impressive. The last movie I saw to do it so well was Eye in the Sky, which I consider high praise. The stories are presented matter-of-fact and it doesn't feel like much is embellished other than Wahlberg being in the right place at the right time too much. That's forgivable considering that his character is intended as an amalgam of several people in order to give some connective tissue for all the events. There's really not a weak performance in the ensemble. Jimmy O. Yang, who I previously just knew as Jian Yang from Silicon Valley, gets some incredibly tense moments. Melissa Benoist challenges herself more than I've seen her do before. People like John Goodman and Kevin Bacon show up for small roles just to add even more legitimacy to the film.

Berg is happy to play on an audience's emotions. The end, in particular, is filled with scene after scene designed to put a lump in your throat or cheering. If you've seen his movies before, you should already have an idea of what to expect. Again, he knows what he does well and doesn't shy away from those things. He even manages to fit in some exciting moments. One of Berg's greatest strengths as a director is staging action sequences, so it would be wasteful if he didn't have some. The actual bombing is disorienting and unsettling. The eventual shootout with the bombers in Watertown is enthralling and explosive. Berg is great at knowing how to inject humor at the right times to stop the film from becoming a slog.

Along with Deepwater Horizon, Peter Berg managed to make two of the best movies of 2016, which is pretty remarkable. Patriots Day is a well managed film. The cast and direction are top notch. It's respectful without being dull and procedural. It's not always an easy watch, which may turn away some people. It's worth seeing though. As far as I'm concerned, Berg can give any true event he wants the movie treatment, because the results will be great.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend