Author: Maximilian Darr

Jackie places us in the world of the former first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy (played by Natalie Portman), after the assassination of president John F. Kennedy. The movie is told through a conversation between Jackie and a journalist and mixed with flashbacks from her point of view. This works stylistically; however, even with this and Natalie Portman’s excellent portrayal, the movie’s pace and lack of risks prevent this movie from being special.

If the target audience is people who know close to nothing about this event then I would consider the movie a success. However, for the audience that is fairly educated about JFK’s assassination, not much is brought to the table. The film, although it goes behind what has been seen publicly before, it fails to break her from what we already have seen. The iconic, stoic role she portrayed in face of this great tragedy at the time, is never deviated from, even when she is behind closed doors. This unwavering conscientiousness makes her character very much unaccessible and unrealistic. I think that the choice to not take any risks with the title character contributed to the mundane nature this film took on.

The other flaw of this film was the pace. The conversation with the journalist moves slowly and the flashbacks don’t get interesting until late in the film. I think that the film could be much stronger with a major restructuring of the story. There is not much to draw the viewer in and the public knowledge of the tragedy prevents the film from being suspenseful.

Overall the film falls short as a movie. The story is an important one, but the film itself brings little new value to the audience. Although it puts you in her shoes and gives a unique perspective of the assassination, it does not give you new insight into Jackie Kennedy’s life.

I was sitting at my dining room table doing homework when I heard. I had taken a break to check Facebook when I saw that 2 explosions had gone off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. At the time I was very saddened and scared as I watched the television coverage of the bombing, the injured, and the dead. However, unlike most people, who slowly forgot as time passed, this particular bombing stayed with me and affected me more as time went on.

At the time of the bombing I had recently received my 3rd knee surgery and the doctors had told me I would never run again. Fast forward to today, and I have run 2 marathons and am very passionate about running. One of the things that effects me the most is that the Boston Marathon is the only public marathon that you have to qualify for. I would consider myself a fast marathon runner, but the Boston Marathon is a race that I may only be able to dream about racing. That is what I think is lost on some of the general public. The runners on this day are elite runners for their age group. The bomb wasn’t set off at a regular marathon, which still would have been catastrophic, but it was set off at the Boston Marathon, targeting not only the innocent bystanders but also runners who had spent months training not only to run this race but also months of hard training for the race where they qualified. For someone who is a runner, Boston is a dream, and on that day many dreams were shattered for families, spectators, and racers.

Patriot’s Day is about the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon. We see much of the tragic event through the eyes of Tommy Saunders, a fictional policeman created specifically for the film. Specifically we see the events of that infamous day as well as the long manhunt and investigation of the bombers.

This movie does an excellent job with pace. From the time of the bombing till the last bomber is caught, a span of 3 days is covered. In those three days a lot happens strictly with research and the processing of information within an office; yet, Patriot’s Day does an excellent job at keeping these times suspenseful and full of emotion. Furthermore, the cinematography plays well into the events being shown. The portrayal of the bombing is permeated with shaky shots including a shot where the camera falls to the ground. The chaos is visually apparent as the camera is jolted around and splattered with blood. This same style is apparent again in the shootout later in the movie. The camera work brilliantly and unapologetically shows the fear and the gore associated with the event.

Even for someone who was very familiar with the events that happened back in 2013, I was still surprised multiple times while watching the movie. So much is shown from behind the scenes of the investigation that I had no idea was going on. Patriots Day will undoubtedly give you a new important perspective on the bombings, no matter your previous knowledge of the event.

Even while cringing and letting tears fill your eyes you will not want to look away from the dramatic investigation. Patriots Day works so well as an intense, climactic piece that you will forget you are watching true events unfold. The mixture of real and recreated footage serves as tough reminder that real people lived through this horror. Overall the strong acting and unique camera work makes this movie an important must-see.