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Writers: Peter Berg & Matt Cook (screenplay)
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons
Genre: Drama History
I hated the way the first 30 minutes was filmed...It looked like a Showtime TV show...with lots of close-ups of the actors, while using a hand held camera with very short scene length. It just looked like cheap film making. Indeed it does cost more to shot wide angle as you have to have a much bigger set, than if you just fill the frame with the giant face of Mark Wahlberg.
The introduction of the people who lives would later become affected by the bomb is a standard film troupe, but one that usually works damn good, that's why it's a troupe. But not here. I never felt like I knew who these people were, so I never cared about them...That resulted in me not being emotional impacted by the bomb blast scenes, as all the previous scenes of the victims were mere snipets. So when their body parts are laying on the street in a bloody mess, all I'm thinking is: is that CG blood or is it F/X blood? And that's not right, the real bombing incident changed lives forever but the director failed to get any emotional impact out of his scenes, because they look more like a video game, than real life.
When we get into the investigation the film is still weak without strong expose. It's only when we see the bombers and their POV that the movie becomes real, and tense.
I have to say when we see the bombers execute the cop and take the Chinese boy hostage, that was emotionally intense. I was hooked at that moment and thought the film was redeeming itself. But then OMG, along comes Hollywood style explosions, as we see cop car after cop car being blown sky high by the bombers with their homemade pipe bombs. That ruined any credibility the film had built during the hostage scenes. The entire last shot out with the bad guys, was so fake it belonged in a John Wicks movie.
So at the end the director shows us the real victims with photos and screen captions...and sure that's heart felt... but that 12 minute style documentary epilogue doesn't redeem the directors lame decision to turn a tragic real event, into a lame ass action movie. Boo
Patriots Day (2016)
Director: Peter BergWriters: Peter Berg & Matt Cook (screenplay)
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, J.K. Simmons
Genre: Drama History
"The story of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists responsible."
All I really knew about Patriots Day before watching it was that it starred Mark Walberg and looked like a Hollywood action flick from the poster. So I didn't have high expectations going into it.I hated the way the first 30 minutes was filmed...It looked like a Showtime TV show...with lots of close-ups of the actors, while using a hand held camera with very short scene length. It just looked like cheap film making. Indeed it does cost more to shot wide angle as you have to have a much bigger set, than if you just fill the frame with the giant face of Mark Wahlberg.
The introduction of the people who lives would later become affected by the bomb is a standard film troupe, but one that usually works damn good, that's why it's a troupe. But not here. I never felt like I knew who these people were, so I never cared about them...That resulted in me not being emotional impacted by the bomb blast scenes, as all the previous scenes of the victims were mere snipets. So when their body parts are laying on the street in a bloody mess, all I'm thinking is: is that CG blood or is it F/X blood? And that's not right, the real bombing incident changed lives forever but the director failed to get any emotional impact out of his scenes, because they look more like a video game, than real life.
When we get into the investigation the film is still weak without strong expose. It's only when we see the bombers and their POV that the movie becomes real, and tense.
I have to say when we see the bombers execute the cop and take the Chinese boy hostage, that was emotionally intense. I was hooked at that moment and thought the film was redeeming itself. But then OMG, along comes Hollywood style explosions, as we see cop car after cop car being blown sky high by the bombers with their homemade pipe bombs. That ruined any credibility the film had built during the hostage scenes. The entire last shot out with the bad guys, was so fake it belonged in a John Wicks movie.
So at the end the director shows us the real victims with photos and screen captions...and sure that's heart felt... but that 12 minute style documentary epilogue doesn't redeem the directors lame decision to turn a tragic real event, into a lame ass action movie. Boo