Yes, the film "Patriots Day" (2016) extensively integrates authentic archival footage with its dramatized scenes. The filmmakers blended actual video and photographic evidence from the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent manhunt with sequences shot with the cast. This technique of combining real-world media with cinematic reenactments is a central stylistic and narrative element of the movie.
The types of real footage used are varied and serve to ground the narrative in historical fact. This includes security camera (CCTV) footage of the Tsarnaev brothers at the finish line and during their movements through Cambridge and Watertown, news reports from local and national media outlets that broadcast during the event, and amateur video captured by bystanders on their cell phones. Notably, the film incorporates the widely seen infrared footage from the thermal imaging camera aboard a Massachusetts State Police helicopter, which documented the discovery of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in a boat.
The practical application of this method, often employed by director Peter Berg, is to create a docudrama style that enhances authenticity and emotional weight. By juxtaposing the recreated drama with the raw, unscripted reality of the historical record, the film aims to immerse the viewer directly into the timeline of events. This approach serves not only as a storytelling device but also as a form of memorialization, directly incorporating the real images of the people and the city affected by the tragedy into the cinematic tribute.
