Review: In 'Patriots Day,' a community disarms terrorism

Patriots Day," which recreates the 2013 Boston Marathon and the subsequent four-day manhunt, is the third in a string of docudramas for Berg, following the Navy SEAL drama "Lone Survivor" and the recent oil rig disaster film "Deepwater Horizon.

"Patriots Day," coming just over three years after the bombing that killed three and maimed many, could easily seem like typical Hollywood exploitation of a tragedy, or, on the other side of the coin, simple-minded rah-rah patriotism.

(The tremendous home life of Berg's TV series, "Friday Night Lights," is the best example of this.) He has surely made a close study of John Ford Westerns and their tender lingering on the hearth.

Beginning in the hours before the pressure-cooker bombs explode, Berg visits the home or workplace of the characters he'll stitch together throughout the film: newlyweds planning to watch the race (Rachel Brosnahan and Christopher O'Shea), an MIT officer (Jake Picking) flirting with a student (Lana Condor), and others.

Patriots Day," a CBS Films/Lionsgate release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "violence, realistically graphic injury images, language throughout and some drug use.