Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have become the go-to pair for intense dramas based on real life events, and Patriots Day is no different. In the film, Berg recreates the events surrounding the Boston Marathon Bombing, including the search for the Tsarnaev brothers. Wahlberg’s police officer is a composite character, but J.K. Simmons, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, Rachel Brosnahan, and Melissa Benoist all play real life figures.