The film Patriots Day is a docudrama based on the true events of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent city-wide manhunt. As a dramatization, it adheres to the factual timeline and key occurrences of the tragedy but utilizes cinematic techniques, including composite characters and dramatized dialogue, to present the story. Therefore, while the foundational events depicted are real, the film is not a literal, documentary-style reenactment.
The film's accuracy lies in its depiction of the overarching narrative: the bombing at the finish line, the identification of the perpetrators Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the murder of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, the carjacking of Dun Meng, and the final shootout in Watertown. It incorporates actual news footage and surveillance imagery to ground the story in reality. However, the central protagonist, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (portrayed by Mark Wahlberg), is a fictional composite character. He was created to represent the experiences and actions of multiple real-life Boston police officers, allowing the film to streamline a complex, multi-perspective event into a cohesive story centered on a single viewpoint.
The film's primary objective is to capture the emotional truth and spirit of the events and the "Boston Strong" response, rather than to serve as a verbatim historical record. The use of a composite character is a deliberate storytelling choice to make the wide-ranging investigation accessible and emotionally resonant for the audience. Consequently, while specific scenes and conversations are constructed for dramatic effect, the film is widely regarded as a faithful and respectful portrayal of the real-life crisis and the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and the community.
