Stronger

STRONGER (15)

D: David Gordon Green

Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions/Bold/Mandeville/Nine Stories (Jake Gyllenhaal, Michel Litvak, Scott Silver, David Lieberman & Scott Hoberman)

US 2017

119 mins

Biopic/Drama

W: John Pollono [based on the memoir by Jeff Bauman & Bret Witter]

DP: Sean Bobbitt

Ed: Dylan Tichenor

Mus: Michael Brook

Jake Gyllenhaal (Jeff Bauman), Tatiana Maslany (Erin Hurley), Miranda Richardson (Patty Bauman), Clancy Brown (Jeff Bauman, Sr.), Richard Lane, Jr. (Sully)

Jake Gyllenhaal turns in a solid performance as Jeff Bauman, a blue collar Boston resident who lost both his legs in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack in 2013, having to adjust to life accordingly but trying the patience of his family and girlfriend, who was a participant in the marathon on the fateful day, all while becoming something of a heroic figure in his hometown.

The film is tackled in a low-key way, almost of TV movie standard by director David Gordon Green, but the main performances of both Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany make this a very good watch.

It's unfortunate that the film was a box office failure, only grossing about half of its shooting budget. 

6/10