While not nearly as deadly or widespread as the coordinated attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, nonetheless shook the nation to its core while reminding us that evil never rests; it only takes breaks.
As with 2001, the 2013 destruction was conceived and executed by Muslim extremists, only these weren’t Saudi nationals. They were two Kyrgyz-American brothers of Chechen descent raised in the very city they so wantonly terrorized.
Mistaken Identity
Easily the most moving and impactful survivor testimony is delivered by Karen McWatters, an onlooker standing near the finish line waiting to welcome her marathon-running then-boyfriend Kevin. Both Karen and her friend Krystle Campbell were struck by projectiles discharged from the first of two pressure cooker bombs; Karen was mistakenly identified as Krystle by EMT responders because the former was in possession of the latter’s smartphone. Just how this mix-up was eventually sorted out is nothing short of heartbreaking.The producers and series’ director Floyd Russ deserve high marks for devoting a hefty chunk of the second episode to the lesser-known plight of Dun “Danny” Meng. A Chinese national and the proud owner of a new Mercedes M-Class SUV, Meng was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Dim Bulbs
Forcing Meng at gunpoint to make a withdrawal from an ATM, the brothers told him that they were indeed the ones responsible for the bombing and were headed to Times Square to do it again. This was just one of several things the Tsarnaev’s did and said that would lead anyone with half a clue to conclude: These were two of the most ill-prepared, dim-bulb mass murderers in the history of the planet.In addition to not using any kind of disguise while placing their bombs (something which made identifying them via security video relatively easy), the Tsarnaevs, instead of fleeing, remained in Boston, thus increasing the odds they would be caught.
Not Exactly Straight-Shooters
As it turns out, the Tsarnaevs weren’t the only ones not playing their “A-game” the night they were identified. One would rightfully think that well over 100 law-enforcement officers working for six police agencies firing 300 rounds in seven minutes at two stationary suspects might result in killing or at least disabling the suspects, but that wasn’t the case. The officer’s errant marksmanship resulted in dozens of rounds hitting and entering civilian homes with one bullet coming within three inches of a sleeping infant’s head.Despite all of this manpower and discharged ammunition, one of the brothers managed to elude capture in the Mercedes and, while doing so, ran over the other brother and dragged him down the street, ultimately resulting in his death.
More Doesn’t Equal Better
One of, if not the most important duty of a documentary filmmaker isn’t in gathering and assembling footage, but rather presenting it in an efficient, streamlined manner. Given that the Boston Marathon Bombing was a heavily chronicled, relatively recent event, there was more than enough raw material with which to work. It is with the interview portions where Russ loses control of the narrative while making, as they say in sports, multiple “unforced errors.”Including concise, expert talking head commentary analysis is great, but too much of it is not. Here, “too much” means one or more interviewees making the same observation or worse, a single interviewee making the same point with slightly different verbiage; repeating something doesn’t increase its impact.
Had Russ delivered a two-hour movie instead of a nearly three-hour docuseries, “Manhunt” would have packed a far greater wallop.
