Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Intense, harrowing, and thorough docu has violence, cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing
What's the Story?
AMERICAN MANHUNT: THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING is a three-part docuseries that revisits the bombing near the finish line of the Boston Marathon and the aftermath a decade after it happened. On the afternoon of April 15th, 2013 two explosions went off within seconds of each other near the finish line of the annual race, killing three people, and injuring over two hundred and fifty, some of whom lost limbs as a result. With the help of archive footage, interviews with investigators, witnesses, survivors, and occasional reenactments, it offers details about the FBI investigation into what was quickly deemed a domestic terrorist attack. It also reveals how brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were identified as the individuals who planted and detonated two homemade pressure cooker bombs. The five days it took to locate both of them, during which time they committed a carjacking and killed an MIT police officer, is also described in great detail. The series also offers some insights into the mistakes made by law enforcement during the manhunt, and the post-9/11 biases that played into the investigation. The radicalization of the ethnically Chechen brothers, and the existence of potential collaborators, are also discussed.
Is It Any Good?
This well told, intense three-part docuseries offers a detailed and harrowing account of what happened during and after the Boston Marathon bombing from law enforcement, witnesses, and survivors' points view. The moment-to-moment accounts of what took place once the bombs were detonated highlights the commitment of investigators to solve the crime, as well as how violent the Tsarnaev brothers' actions were and their indifference to the suffering they caused.
Those not associated with law enforcement, including journalists and a few of the brothers' friends and acquaintances, also note the value of understanding (but not excusing) what drove them to do what they did, and how important to is move away from stereotypes about Muslims in order to make sense of their actions. Overall, American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing offers a thorough interpretation of the events that took place in the Boston area beginning on the afternoon of April 15, 2013 that is both difficult and compelling to watch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about media and violence. What impact do media stories about things like terrorist acts, school shootings, and other violent events have on audiences? Is this impact lessened when these narratives are more informative than exploitative?
Does American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing offer an objective account of what happened? Was there any voices or viewpoints missing from the conversations about what transpired? Why?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 12, 2023
- Cast : Carmen Ortiz , Dung “Danny” Meng , Billy Evans
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : April 13, 2023
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