American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing

Two bombs. Three dead. Hundreds injured.

And a 20-hour manhunt that shut down Boston.

This doc is Netflix’s 3-part docuseries that takes you from the blasts at the finish line to through the unbelievable manhunt.

Trailer for “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing”

You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up

The brothers originally planned to bomb Times Square after Boston, but the plan fell apart when they got pinned down in Watertown.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hid in a dry-docked boat for nearly 17 hours—armed police fired 126 rounds into it even though he had no weapon in hand when captured.
One of the most surreal manhunts in U.S. history ended because a Watertown resident noticed blood on his boat tarp.

Watch “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing”

You can watch “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing” on Netflix here.

Ratings:

My Rating: 96/100
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 81/100 (Users); 89/100 (Critics)

Director’s Note: Directed by Floyd Russ. He also directed “Zion” and worked on Netflix’s “Malice at the Palace” (which I rated 96/100) installment of the Untold series. Russ blends reenactments, raw footage, and first-hand accounts in a way that keeps the tension high.

Release Date: April 12, 2023 (Netflix global release)

My Review of “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing”

The Setup

The series covers April 15–19, 2013. Two pressure-cooker bombs explode near the Boston Marathon finish line, killing 3 and wounding more than 260. What follows is a five-day blur of confusion, misidentification, press leaks, and a manhunt involving thousands of officers.

Episode 1 sets up the bombing itself and how investigators sifted through thousands of photos and videos.

Episode 2 follows the MIT officer Sean Collier’s murder and the Watertown shootout.

Episode 3 shows Boston on lockdown and the final discovery of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in a backyard boat.

More Highlights from the Doc

The FBI first focused on a Saudi student at the race—he was badly injured but innocent, a mistake that sparked rumors and Islamophobia online.
The release of the “White Hat” and “Black Hat” suspect photos changed everything—turning the brothers into fugitives overnight.
The carjacking of Dun “Danny” Meng’s Mercedes SUV gave investigators the first real break—Danny escaped at a gas station and called 911, leading police to the Tsarnaevs’ location.
During the Watertown firefight, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was tackled after running out of ammo—but then Dzhokhar ran him over while fleeing in the stolen SUV, killing his own brother.
Boston’s governor ordered a city-wide “shelter in place”—subway shut down, streets emptied, businesses closed—something never before attempted on that scale in the U.S.

Lesser-Known Details from the Doc

The FBI’s internal debate about releasing the suspect photos shows how worried they were that leaking too soon would cause panic—or tip off the bombers.
“Contagious fire” in Watertown: once one officer fired at the boat, dozens more unloaded their weapons without orders. Thankfully, no one was hit by friendly fire.
Officer Dennis Simmonds, gravely injured in the Watertown battle, died a year later from his injuries—his sacrifice is often overshadowed in retellings.
The Tsarnaev brothers built their bombs with instructions downloaded directly from Al-Qaeda’s “Inspire” magazine, a chilling example of DIY terrorism.

Wrap Up

This docuseries is gripping because it reminds you how fast a normal day can flip into terror. If you lived through 2013, it’ll take you right back to those chaotic five days.

Thanks for reading!

Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc