Patriots Day Review (2017)

Patriots Day

  Patriots Day is about the Boston Bombing, the investigation to find the terrorists, and the people who survived. Now let's get into the review!

  I genuinely was moved by this film, but I did have some problems with it. For starters, I am not a fan of shaky-cam directing and Patriots Day had a lot of it. I know that supposedly adds to the chaotic, suspense aspect of the film, but I personally just find it annoying.

  Another thing was the character development. At the opening of this film, we are introduced to every character involved in a Valentine's Day like fashion. When they wanted to build empathy for a character, they'd show them talking to some girl they like, or cutesy couple shots that just felt somewhat contrived and unnecessary. I would have preferred they give us two or three protagonists and really layered them. 

  What I really liked about Patriots Day is how respectful it was of the event as a whole. They really stuck to what happened and captured the heart of Boston City. I also liked that they never demonize the terrorists, but they also don't sugar coat the horrors of what they did. It was such an interesting contrast to cast these two good looking boys, who don't come off very threatening, and then to watch them commit these awful, devastating crimes that affected so many people. 

  The actual bombing scene is extremely harrowing. They really built up the tension beforehand so when it hits, it's like a punch to the gut.  Definitely bring the tissues for this one.

  Despite my critiques, I really enjoyed Patriot's Day. It was well paced, inspiring, emotional, and straightforward. 8 out of 10 stars (I'd Buy It)