The 15th day of April is home to a multitude of events.

On April 15th, 1912, the Titanic sunk. In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in the MLB. And in 2013, the nation watched in horror as we lost 3 Americans and saw about 264 others injured in the Boston Marathon bombings. A senseless act of terrorism on our country.

Having family in Boston during that time was a factor that made this wound so much deeper. As I watched news channel after news channel in silence with wide eyes on April 15th, 2013, all I could think about was how easily one of those runners could have been my cousin, who runs in marathons regularly, and the pain that the entire nation would soon be feeling. It truly put the fragility of life into perspective.

In my pjs with a bag of popcorn, I entered the packed theatre to see “Patriots Day” on opening night. So packed that before the other people at the movie shuffled around a bit, my friends and I struggled to find 3 seats next to each other. Once I found a seat, I sat down and braced myself for a shortage of breath and tears to be shed as I watched the events of that day unfold on screen.

The film begins by immediately inserting you into the daily lives of a group of critical people, including the bombers themselves. People that are focused on the most and that are directly affected by the act of terrorism all in different ways. This aspect truly made this movie so much more personal. You wanted this person to live or that person to stay home from work. It honed in on the few, but allowed you to understand the emotions of the many that day at the exact same time.

The portrayal of events was incredible. Anticipation grew as I watched the bombers plotting. I heard the sirens as though I was standing next to police Sergeant Tommy Saunders the minute the bombs went off. I felt the chaos of the moments and days following. On the edge of my seat, my mind shouting, “There they are!” or “Don’t get close, they may be a bomb!”

Part of the feeling of truly being there during each event was achieved by the extreme graphics. In a span of 2 hours, I saw more blood than I’ve ever seen in my entire life. So, take that into consideration but don’t let that deter you from seeing it altogether.
I walked out of the theatre with profoundly more patriotism than when I walked in and just about 5 pounds less water weight that I lost through the tears I cried. All of the key elements of a successful movie fulfilled and my expectations surpassed. A beautiful major motion picture.