Patriot's Day - Questionable choices

With the memory of the tragic Boston Marathon Bombings still ingrained onto the cultural and social zeitgeist,  Peter Berg's factual drama/thriller is definitely not the most essential topic to adapt for film. The noticeable use of recreated security footage and a coda interviewing  victims really reinforce how unnecessary the film is in its concept. 

Berg does his best to honour those who died and the law enforcement who participated in capturing the terrorists, but - regardless of good intentions - does a backhanded job of it thanks to a few decisions. The central character of Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Berg collaborator Mark Whalberg retuning after Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon) is an amalgamation of several real life people, so although it streamlines the plot, it doesn't do justice to those particular people and evokes incredulity because of the amount Saunders does to aid in the investigation. The simple answer is that it the work of a few people. Moreover, there is some bafflingly timed humour during a pivotal shootout, further undermining the integrity of Berg's tribute. However, by setting up every character before their part in the events become evident, it does do justice for some their real-life counterparts.

This isn't to say the film isn't well done on the whole. The hunt for the two eerily conditioned terrorists (played with fascinating intensity and unsettling lightness by Alex Wollf and Themo Melikidze) makes for a taut thriller that matches the finest episodes of Homeland, and this is where Berg's direction is strongest. The cast is perfectly serviceable in their roles, including John Goodman, a mostly under-utilised JK Simmons and Kevin 'Lost-all-respect-for-thanks to-embarrassing-EE-adverts' Bacon. 

Generally speaking it's a mixed bag; for every gripping sequence there's something that brings down the film elsewhere, like the often manipulatively cloying score. It's never dull, but never shakes the creeping feeling that it's too soon.

THREE STARS. Good Khandi Alexander cameo.