For a film where the actors were obviously carefully selected for their resemblance to their real-life counterparts, (as is made clear by the introduction of the real participants near the end of the film), to pivot the action around an entirely fictitious character (Mark Wahlberg's ubiquitous police officer], surely had to be a mistake. I say ubiquitous because Wahlberg always seems to be Johnny-on-the-spot whenever anything significant happens in the action. There he is close by when the bombs go off, he's there just after the young Chinese boy is kidnapped and carjacked by the two bombers, he's also there at their shoot out with the cops and again when the authorities finally catch up with the fugitive younger brother.
Once you know this (it becomes obvious when there's no real life equivalent introduced for him at the end), you realise you've been manipulated as a viewer and it just weakens the whole premise of the film. Surely there were enough brave citizens and emergency services in Boston on the day of the incident without the need for this imaginary person.
Otherwise I couldn't say I was entirely gripped as I think I should have been by the depiction of proceedings as they were presented. Of course the story has to follow the real life sequence of events which I don't doubt it did, I just didn't think it was done in a very exciting or gripping way.
Fine to celebrate the everyday heroism of ordinary average people when confronted by the unexpected, criminal and dangerous, but stretching it to a two hour movie didn't come off here.
Once you know this (it becomes obvious when there's no real life equivalent introduced for him at the end), you realise you've been manipulated as a viewer and it just weakens the whole premise of the film. Surely there were enough brave citizens and emergency services in Boston on the day of the incident without the need for this imaginary person.
Otherwise I couldn't say I was entirely gripped as I think I should have been by the depiction of proceedings as they were presented. Of course the story has to follow the real life sequence of events which I don't doubt it did, I just didn't think it was done in a very exciting or gripping way.
Fine to celebrate the everyday heroism of ordinary average people when confronted by the unexpected, criminal and dangerous, but stretching it to a two hour movie didn't come off here.