What does it say about this film that went from possible Oscar contender to box office flop? Or perhaps, the question is, what does it say about us? I did not have any interest to see "World Trade Center" when it was released. To a degree, I felt this was making money off of tragedy. Maybe too soon after the event. I also didn't care to have the entertainment options now being guided by terrorists. We can certainly expect after a high profile tragedy; the special news show, the books, and then the movie.
I was open to checking this film out because I was willing to see the director's depiction of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. That film made for an all-out thriller action flick, but yet was able to stay within the boundaries of realism. Now after seeing Patriot's Day, I think director Peter Berg might be trying to imitate Michael Bay with a thousand camera angles and slick editing. It also tries to be a little too convenient by giving our leading man a chance to yuck things up while being at the right place at the right time to save the day.
Then there is a strange scene where Mark Wahlberg suddenly becomes psychic and knows which shops the terror suspect walked into. Wahlberg is conveniently placed in the middle of all the major events that were part of this incident. This is done for convenience, but that ultimately does disservice to the factual basis of the story. I did enjoy the energetic pace of the story, both in the build-up and manhunt afterward. Little time is spent setting up the two brothers who instigated the bombing, other than older brother was the more radicalised of the two.
Was Wahlberg's character either an amalgam of other characters or just good ole' "say hi to your ma" Marky Mark? Either way, his inclusion in this whole incident was like Kevin Costner becoming the main character during the Cuban Missile Crisis (according to "Thirteen Days"). As for the supporting characters, they don't ever get to say much. Too bad John Goodman's Boston accent is atrocious. Kevin Bacon fits well into his role. Screen time is given to the victims, including before the incident. These scenes thankfully are not used for foreshadowing, and actually do a good job of humanising them.
The theme of this movie is camaraderie. There is only a little bickering about the direction of the investigation, and in the process portrays the City of Boston as a fist- pumping patriotic love fest. I felt the manipulative music was deliberately used to push the sentimentality. There is an epilogue that runs too long that tries too hard to squeeze tears out of the audience. I think there could have been a more documentary approach to this sequence, and not use the music as a shameless attempt to push our buttons.
This film received very favourable reviews, and perhaps some critics felt trapped in recommending it because of the sensitive nature of the film. Giving this movie a negative review could be seen as a slight on the victims, etc. I compare this movie to the excellent "United 93", which chose to use no music, and did not have a fictional charismatic lead guy be the narrative thread. "United 93" chose realism over sentimentality and still was a riveting human drama.
I must say I agree with the extra message at the end of the film that WE ARE STILL A NATION OF TOLERANCE, and was the responsible thing for the filmmakers to make sure those who watch understand the importance of that message in our current political climate.
I ultimately decided to wait until the DVD came out. The longer running time and mixing of fiction with fact in the narrative was tolerable, but also made me not regret seeing it sooner. I believe this film will stand the test of time, so it's worth a look.
I was open to checking this film out because I was willing to see the director's depiction of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. That film made for an all-out thriller action flick, but yet was able to stay within the boundaries of realism. Now after seeing Patriot's Day, I think director Peter Berg might be trying to imitate Michael Bay with a thousand camera angles and slick editing. It also tries to be a little too convenient by giving our leading man a chance to yuck things up while being at the right place at the right time to save the day.
Then there is a strange scene where Mark Wahlberg suddenly becomes psychic and knows which shops the terror suspect walked into. Wahlberg is conveniently placed in the middle of all the major events that were part of this incident. This is done for convenience, but that ultimately does disservice to the factual basis of the story. I did enjoy the energetic pace of the story, both in the build-up and manhunt afterward. Little time is spent setting up the two brothers who instigated the bombing, other than older brother was the more radicalised of the two.
Was Wahlberg's character either an amalgam of other characters or just good ole' "say hi to your ma" Marky Mark? Either way, his inclusion in this whole incident was like Kevin Costner becoming the main character during the Cuban Missile Crisis (according to "Thirteen Days"). As for the supporting characters, they don't ever get to say much. Too bad John Goodman's Boston accent is atrocious. Kevin Bacon fits well into his role. Screen time is given to the victims, including before the incident. These scenes thankfully are not used for foreshadowing, and actually do a good job of humanising them.
The theme of this movie is camaraderie. There is only a little bickering about the direction of the investigation, and in the process portrays the City of Boston as a fist- pumping patriotic love fest. I felt the manipulative music was deliberately used to push the sentimentality. There is an epilogue that runs too long that tries too hard to squeeze tears out of the audience. I think there could have been a more documentary approach to this sequence, and not use the music as a shameless attempt to push our buttons.
This film received very favourable reviews, and perhaps some critics felt trapped in recommending it because of the sensitive nature of the film. Giving this movie a negative review could be seen as a slight on the victims, etc. I compare this movie to the excellent "United 93", which chose to use no music, and did not have a fictional charismatic lead guy be the narrative thread. "United 93" chose realism over sentimentality and still was a riveting human drama.
I must say I agree with the extra message at the end of the film that WE ARE STILL A NATION OF TOLERANCE, and was the responsible thing for the filmmakers to make sure those who watch understand the importance of that message in our current political climate.
I ultimately decided to wait until the DVD came out. The longer running time and mixing of fiction with fact in the narrative was tolerable, but also made me not regret seeing it sooner. I believe this film will stand the test of time, so it's worth a look.