[yasr_overall_rating]
An account of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis’s actions in the events leading up to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists behind it.
The emotional thriller in which Mark Wahlberg regally stars as Officer Tommy Saunders begins slow and then grows into an immensely personal story about a police officer who has the unenviable position of having his career redirected after falling out of favor with his superiors due to a career misstep. In the last round of what is supposed to be his final proving ground, he is tasked with what he feels is the menial job of working the Marathon. In a last-minute switch, the decision has been made to put him at the finish line and he fights tooth and nail to just get it over with and return to the business of being a regular cop. He also has to deal with recovering from a physical injury. His attitude which has been a major barrier with his progress, slowly transforms from being totally disinterested to being remarkably indispensable after becoming part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
Showcasing the normality of day-to-day living in the lives of the Bostonians prior to the bombing, is paramount to the shift change that makes each of the individuals and their relationships with others crucial to their healing processes. Even more important is the willingness to set personal, political and judicial biases aside in order to regroup and repair emotional and physical wounds that are vital to the goal of living fuller lives individually and collectively in the aftermath of the bombing. The expectation for this film to illicit an enormous amount of emotion is highly practical considering that almost four years after the 2013 Boston Marathon, the wounds are still emotionally and physically present in the lives that were irreversibly impacted by the terroristic bombing. For director Peter Berg to take on this project, he had to be willing to give his all to ensure that those who viewed it and would have to relive the trauma once again, would be in agreement with an accounting of the details before, during and after the bombing that would propel it into the spotlight once again. In consideration of his position, he doesn’t disappoint and the decision to provide some of the live footage absolutely added authenticity to the entire project. Furthermore, the casting of refined actors John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, and Michael Beach was totally magnificent and perfectly-modeled character actors, particularly Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze who played the roles of the Tsarnaev brothers, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan, solidified the plot and continuity of events.
By all accounts, this film is highly recommended for the entire family and any citizen of this nation to learn that selfishness has no place in the aftermath of a national tragedy, and only a combined, communal effort will ensure success in the process of recovery. Bring your tissues and expect to digest an enormous amount of pride for an entire crew that uplifts an entire community that rebuilds its strength, one life at a time.
In theaters Friday, January 13th
