“Patriot’s Day” is a gripping and gut-wrenching movie that will move viewers and bring a tear to many eyes. It is based on the true events of the bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Various key members are woven into the telling of the story. Instrumental and important police officials, governors, F.B.I. authorities, and those who were victims are the focus of this stirring film. The picture stars Mark Wahlberg as Tommy Saunders, an officer who is given the finish line area as his territory at the marathon, and John Goodman as Police Commissioner Ed Davis. The film briefly constructs the events leading up to the bombing, then focuses on responses to the events, along with the stories of several victims, in addition to the two bombers.

The movie does a good job in building up suspense as police and government officials immediately look at surveillance cameras and search for any suspicious suspects that day. It doesn’t take them long to zero in on “Black hat” and “White hat”, as the two main suspects. Interwoven into this search is a story of a wounded dad, separated from his young boy and taken to the hospital. We also see a husband and wife that are rushed to two different hospitals and both endure the tragedy of having legs amputated. The suspense builds when the two suspects are identified and the search to find them rapidly escalates. The bombers kidnap a young Chinese man and continue their plan for more bombings, until the young man escapes and helps police in their attempt to find the suspects, and as fast as possible. When officers converge on the two on a side street, an exchange of gunfire, as well as the releasing of more bombs, makes for gripping action.

Real-life footage from the events of the film is incorporated seamlessly into the movie. This includes one victim, with an artificial leg, finishing the marathon sometime later and being embraced by his wife. It also features “Big Papi” David Ortiz of the Red Sox giving the Boston fans a pep talk at Fenway Park in Boston. Unfortunately, there is a lot of strong and harsh language in the film, including multiple uses of the “F” word, “GD”, “J” and “JC” as well as other profanities throughout the picture. Also, the graphic bloody scenes of the results of the bombings, including open leg wounds, and lots of blood, as well as bloody hospital scenes are featured and are not for the weak of stomach. There is also the use of drugs in the film. For these reasons, we are unable to award our Dove Family-Approved Seal to the movie.