Patriots Day

Patriots Day is a surprisingly steady retelling of a tragic event.

A taut, multi-stranded account of the Boston marathon bombing.

It's not suspenseful so much as commemorative and even, in paying tribute to the resilient spirit of Boston and all of those caught up in this attack, celebratory. It's a kind of civic tribute.

This movie chronicles the hours before the bombing and the manhunt over the days afterwards, often in forensic detail, combining traditional crime-thriller drama with real CCTV, news and mobile phone footage.

The strong narrative pulse overrides the irritation of Wahlberg's blue-collar alpha-saint.

The hard-drive details of the day's horror stay with you.

Many Boston-area residents (and critics) felt the movie was made too soon after the event, and the fact that Tommy was a fictional composite character. I understand these complaints, as they hit close to home, but I don’t agree with them.

Patriots Day may tap into the emotional impetus of the intricate and complex investigation but, despite Berg's good intentions, his highly-detailed production recreates a national tragedy perhaps too soon and without enough perspective.

Bergs work in this film should not be ignored as he not only provides a riveting film but a respectful re-telling of the events, which concludes with interviews of the real-life victims and heroes of the event ending on a poignant note.

In the end, I'm glad I saw the film even though the experience brought out raw emotions, causing me to have tears in my eyes practically the whole time.