'Patriots Day' Trailer Debuts

BOSTON, MA — The first trailer for "Patriots Day," the Boston Marathon bombing movie starring Mark Wahlberg, hit the internet Wednesday morning.

Even in the brief first look, several scenes shot at this year's Boylston Street finish line are visible, including Wahlberg stalking up and down the street near Copley Square in full Boston Police regalia.

"Patriots Day" follows the story of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis (John Goodman) in the events leading up to the bombing and the deadly manhunt that followed.

The teaser trailer released Wednesday strikes a grim but understated note. American flags pepper every other shot as a single, foreboding piano riff repeats in the background of a quick succession of iconic Boston landscapes.

It opens as Wahlberg pulls a highlighter-yellow event vest over his police uniform and gripes to wife (Michelle Monaghan), "I look like a clown. ... I'm basically a traffic cop," before sharing a kiss goodbye and heading off to what will be a fateful day spent manning the Marathon finish line.

When the dreaded moment arrives, the trailer, to its credit, doesn't show a Hollywood-esque fireball or load up the soundtrack with explosions. Instead, there's a muffled boom, then silence, as the camera judders, pans to Wahlberg's shocked face and then fades to black.

"Based on a true events," the screen reads.

The piano returns with a deliberate, even defiant, rendition of "America the Beautiful" interspersed with footage of the film's other leads (Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons) experiencing the aftermath of the attack.

"Some events test our courage. Some people inspire our strength," the screen proclaims. "And some moments define our spirit."

Only three years after the deadly attack, the film hits close to home for many here in Boston. Although several towns welcomed the cast and crew, "Patriots Day" was prohibited from filming in Watertown, for example, where a police shootout with the bombers actually occurred. Wahlberg, with his strong local roots, has said he's endeavoring to "get it right" and honor those involved.

Watch the trailer below, and tell us what you think:

Image via YouTube