The film is widely regarded as being highly accurate in its chronological depiction of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the ensuing four-day manhunt. It meticulously reconstructs the sequence of events, from the initial explosions to the final capture of the second suspect. The production's primary departure from factual representation is the creation of its central protagonist, a composite character, to serve as a narrative anchor. It achieves a high degree of authenticity by integrating actual news broadcasts and surveillance footage from the real events.
The film's adherence to reality is most evident in its portrayal of specific, verifiable events and real-life individuals. The carjacking of Dun Meng, the murder of MIT Officer Sean Collier, and the Watertown shootout involving Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese are all depicted with a strong basis in fact, often developed with input from the actual people involved. The investigative process, showing the FBI's use of public and private video footage to identify the Tsarnaev brothers, is also represented accurately. The most significant element of fictionalization is Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (Mark Wahlberg), a composite character created by amalgamating the experiences of several different Boston police officers. This allows the film to place a single character at multiple key locations and moments for narrative cohesion. Additionally, specific dialogues and the details of Katherine Russell's (Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife) interrogation are dramatized for cinematic effect.
Ultimately, the film prioritizes procedural and emotional authenticity over strict documentary-style fidelity. The use of a composite character is a deliberate narrative choice designed to streamline a complex, sprawling event for the audience, providing a single perspective through which to experience the city-wide crisis. By grounding the fictionalized central story in a meticulously recreated timeline and incorporating real footage and the true stories of many victims and heroes, the movie succeeds as a faithful dramatic retelling. It accurately captures the timeline, the tension of the investigation, and the collaborative spirit of the community and law enforcement response.
