I viewed this right after the 4th of July--a great choice for holiday free time. Mark Wahlberg, asTommy Saunders, is a bona fide Bostonian himself. The movie is based on the terrorist bombing of the 2013 Boston Marathon and the manhunt that followed afterwards. My teenagers are already forgetting this happened.
Fortunately, director Peter Berg, a New Yorker, brings this national trajedy back to life. He includes actual security and confiscated camera footage from beginning to end. There is little censorship. Tennis shoes are soaked in blood, some rights are waived, and the ICUs are drilling off limbs and white-sheeting bodies.
The cast is too modest. I'm a John Goodman fan and Kevin Bacon doesn't hurt. Yet, it could've been more hyped up to honor such a major event. C'mon this was 911 with payback. That leaves Wahlberg front and center. He doesn't disappoint, but he needed more support. Officer Saunders represents the masses as the blue-collar Mr. no-nonsense, leading the manhunt. The Tsarnaev actors (Alex Wolff & Themo Melikidze) are as little known as the bombers themselves. The chase plays out as-is, which was most of the movie.
Drama was lacking. It reads too much like a documentary. Make it sting more in our memory; a major city resorted to martial law and limited scenes are given. Also, it should show more about some of the extensive physical therapy that the victims had to endure.
Overall, it was a movie with a statement that rang clear, as only Big Papi could say it (footage incl.). I rate this at the Goal Line, since it left me waiting to cheer in the end.
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