There it was, sitting as brazenly as possible on my Netflix home screen. "Patriots Day? Mark Wahlberg? Hm...I guess I'll watch." Maybe it's a compliment to Mark Wahlberg, or the preview that was given or the fact that I'm a sucker for "true stories", but regardless of what inspired me to watch Patriots Day, I did. For the first half hour, I felt my usual feeling when I watch a movie with Wahlberg in it: "This is all Mark does, man, damn!" Then, the movie's story began, detailing the events that surrounded the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Admittedly, it was an event that I know occurred and that ended with the perpetrators being brought down. Thankfully, this movie gave me an opportunity to both learn more about the event and feel (almost first-hand) the tension, diligence and pride that Boston experienced during this time.

In Patriots Day, we follow police Sgt. Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg) and a crew of others in their status quos leading up to the morning of April 15th, 2013. While they expect the Boston Marathon to happen as planned, an unforeseen and tragic bombing occurs. The widespread manhunt that follows, involving FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (Kevin Bacon), Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) and the entire town of Boston, pits our heroes against menacing terrorists and a daunting race against time.

Point blank: The film was engaging, watchable at the worst. I enjoyed a few things, but was left wanting more in a couple of areas. Here’s two reasons to watch it and two reasons to not watch it.

Here's why you should watch Patriots Day:

1. Real Lives, Real Losses, Real Events

While Mark Wahlberg's character is a composite of several individuals, the narrative he leads is one that feels real. Several of the individuals portrayed are captured in the film in a believable manner, making what we watch feel as biographical as it is theatrical. Some names are changed, but the chain of events, the hours covered and the visceral reality of what transpired jumps off the screen and surrounds you throughout. Often, I found myself shocked and surprised at the lengths these officials went to, the almost unbelievable battles, even the facial similarities in the actors and the real-life individuals they portrayed in the film. This is an impressive success of a dramatic retelling in my eyes.

2. Peter Berg Is Better Than You Think

Fun fact: Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg are like this (crosses fingers). Patriots Day is one of the five films he's directed with Wahlberg as the leading actor. While most of those movies could be categorized as "just alright", Peter Berg's ability to direct is better than some may think. Berg's repertoire includes Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Hancock, Lone Survivor, Patriots Day, and Mile 22 (all the movies he's directed that I believe are better than "just alright"). Though he uses Wahlberg like a crutch in some ways, the guy makes a solid movie - that's brass tacks. I won't say he's Michael Bay-level when it comes to action, thrills and art, but if there's a get together of capable directors who specialize in intense action and (semi-) gripping narratives, Berg gets invited to the cookout (but he damn sure doesn't get a "plus one").

Here's why you shouldn't watch Patriots Day:

1. Mark Wahlberg

Blunt as can be, I am conflicted about watching Mark Wahlberg act. I'm even more conflicted when I find myself enjoying the things he does. And you better believe I am grossly conflicted when the thought of putting money in his pocket comes to my mind. The reason for those conflicting feelings is that Mark Wahlberg has been found guilty in cases of racial hate crimes several times in his life. You can read in full detail about his past here, but, in short:

  • "In 1986, a then 15-year-old Wahlberg and three friends were charged for chasing three black children and pelting them with rocks while yelling: “Kill the n*****s” until an ambulance driver intervened. The next day, Wahlberg harassed another group of mostly black children (around the age of nine or 10) at the beach, gathering other white men to join in racially abusing and throwing rocks at them."
  • "In 1988...Wahlberg attacked two Vietnamese men while high on the drug PCP. He called one man, Thanh Lam, a “Vietnam f***ing s***” and knocked him unconscious with a five-foot wooden stick, while punching another man, army veteran Johnny Trinh, in the eye later in the same day. Officers reported that Wahlberg used racist slurs to describe both men."

Pretty f***ed up, to be honest. There's the belief that people change and forgiveness and what have you, but this is the man he was years ago. Could it be that these were only a handful of instances where a teenager committed racist acts and he's matured/learned over time? Maybe. Could Mark Wahlberg now be a closet racist? Maybe. I truly do not know. And because I do not know, I am conflicted when it comes to Mark Wahlberg as a person.

As an actor, this is regular Mark Wahlberg. He's Bostonian, he's blue collar, he's a rough neck, he doesn't play by the rules, he's both hated and loved, etc. He's funny at times, but this is no different than the Mark Wahlberg we've seen in almost literally any other Mark Wahlberg movie. He does cry in this movie though; that was alright.

2. Too Little Focus on the Antagonists

I don't have the same intrigue in romanticizing killers that some people do. Something like Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron - while Efron is impressive, the fascination with the character he portrays is not appealing to me at all. People like that should not be on big screens and portrayed for our entertainment, in my opinion. I understand wanting to understand them, but a work like that that so greatly shines an enjoyable/entertaining light on a horrible murderer (and overlooks the effects of their doings) simply does not appeal to me as much as it appeals to others.

However, in the case of Patriots Day, I was left wanting more when it came to both seeing and understanding the bombers themselves. After watching the film, I know little about what specifically radicalized these men, what their greater plan was, who they worked with, the way they lived, etc. I'm not saying I needed a "Patriots Day prologue" to give me a backstory about these two, but it could have been beneficial to explore the jihadist ideology that inspired the bombers acts. Little is mentioned about Tamerlan's inspiration to commit these acts and the film made it seem as though much of his doings were personal. I still don't know why that would be the case, but I do know the film's creators did not do us a favor in glossing over this.

I recommend seeing Patriots Day, but if you don't, you'll be fine. Either way, I Scene That.

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