A touching and beautiful, yet heartbreaking tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, Patriot’s Day reveals the heroics of first responders and shows a city come together as one.

Directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg, Patriot’s Day depicts the Boston Marathon bombing and the events that led police to capture the suspects.

The movie focuses on several points of view during the bombings and the aftermath, including those of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Sergeant Tommy Saunders, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis and many others.

The intertwining narratives bring viewers closer to the action, as if witnessing the characters’ struggles first-hand and experiencing the emotions with immediacy as events unfold.

Viewers see the terrifying moment when Dun Meng is carjacked and forced to sit in his car while the Tsarnaev brothers start to drive towards New York to wreak more havoc.  Dun, knowing that he will most likely die if he stays in the car, makes a daring move to escape and run to a nearby gas station while the brothers stop for snacks and gas.

Dun Meng’s heroic act saved the lives of many and stopped the brothers from making it to New York, while also leading police to track the suspects and confront them.

The movie shows the investigation unfolding and reveals how the people of Boston came together to support one another.  The many law enforcement agencies–FBI, Boston Police, Massachusetts State Police, and others–tracked the bombers and found them before they made their next move.

Even though most viewers are aware of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the events that followed, the movie creates suspense and reveals the behind-the-scenes stories that transpired during the crisis.

The movie ends with short interviews with the actual people depicted. The viewer sees the horror, the sacrifice, the love and most importantly, the heroics of those involved in the investigation.

Patriot’s Day is characterized by an intense realism that is rarely seen in movies. The horror makes you stop and think that you never know when and where something like this could happen.

However, it also brings out a strong sense of patriotism to see how citizens and law enforcement officers come together to support one another in difficult times.

I sat in that theater with my eyes glued to the screen, popcorn untouched, candy box unopened.  I sat there witnessing the horror of that day come to life, and I could not fathom how much damage these two brothers did to individuals, families and a whole entire city.

The actors contributed a great deal to the film’s emotional power. Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Tommy Saunders and Ed Davis so convincingly embodied their characters that they began to look like twins of the real people.

Patriots Day is truly a unique film and definitely the best movie I have seen this year because it not only served as entertainment, but it tells an important story of our recent history. It provides an outlet for the survivors to tell their story and share a message.

They all went to the Boston Marathon to run, to watch, to protect, but at the end of the day, they got more than they came for, and their lives were all forever intertwined.

With one quote, Sergeant Tommy Saunders summed up the message of the movie: “When the devil hits you like that, the only way to fight back is with love… That’s the only thing he won’t touch.”