The phrase "asian guy in patriots day" functions as a noun phrase. Its purpose is to identify a specific character in the 2016 film Patriots Day. The character in question is Dun Meng, a Chinese national and entrepreneur who was carjacked by the Tsarnaev brothers. He is portrayed by actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang.
Grammatically, the phrase is constructed with "guy" as the head noun. The word "asian" serves as an adjective, modifying the noun by describing ethnicity. The prepositional phrase "in patriots day" acts as an adjectival phrase, further modifying the noun by specifying the context (the film). The entire phrase operates as a single unit to refer to a specific person, making it a noun phrase used for identification.
The significance of this character, both in the film and the actual events, is substantial. Dun Meng's quick thinking and brave escape from his captors were critical to the manhunt. He alerted authorities and provided them with the information that the carjackers' vehicle had a GPS tracker, which directly led law enforcement to the perpetrators' location in Watertown, Massachusetts, precipitating the final confrontation.
