The movie “Patriots Day” emotionally captures the horrific events of the Boston bombings on April 15, 2013, and the four day manhunt that followed.

In this two hour film, Mark Wahlberg stars as Sergeant Tommy Saunders, a fictional character who singularly represents the police officers who were involved in the response to the terrorist attack. Although the movie did add a few people and events that were not involved in the true events, the film as a whole was produced with respect for those directly connected to the tragedy. The movie focuses on how Boston reacted to this adversity, and how the city came back with more pride and unity than ever.

The film followed a few days in the life of Saunders leading up to the bombings and during the hectic manhunt for the two bombers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, played by Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze. The acting was believable, especially by Wahlberg, and it was almost as if I were watching more of a documentary than a film with actors.

One major part of this movie was showcasing the inner workings of the stressful and seemingly endless work of the FBI as the agency had to find a suspect in hundreds of different surveillance footage. Another integral component was the battle to stay one step ahead of the terrorists.

The actual footage of the real events were woven throughout the movie and added an authentic element to the film. It’s hard not to get a sense of pride and relief flooding through you when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is captured after he was extracted from the infamous boat, and all of Boston is out on the streets cheering.

However, since the videos from the actual victims made it feel real, it also made the film that much more sad. During many different scenes I found myself and almost everyone around me sniffling and wiping away tears.

For people that may have been directly impacted by the bombings, this movie may hit a little too close to home and may have been released too soon. Many people have criticized Wahlberg for jumping on the opportunity to film a movie about such a fresh wound. Yet, I walked out of the theater with goosebumps, a bit sad, but happy I went out to see it because it expresses a tragic day in Boston’s history and represents the new pride the city gains.