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‘Unabomber’ Review: A Portrait of the Terrorist as a Young Man, Given a Hokey TV-Movie Gloss
The review finds Netflix’s “Unabomber” an uneven drama about Ted Kaczynski’s radicalisation and capture, weakened by formulaic dialogue and conventional true-crime presentation. It alternates between Kaczynski’s time at Harvard and the FBI’s investigation, but the two timelines rarely deepen one another, making the film feel like two underdeveloped stories joined together.
The Harvard strand, involving Russell Crowe’s ethically dubious professor Henry Murray and Jacob Tremblay’s teenage Kaczynski, is considered more compelling than the 1990s investigation. However, the review says the film overstates Murray’s influence, gives Shailene Woodley a predictable FBI role, and fails to match the disturbing intensity of the 2021 film “Ted K”.
In short
- Netflix’s drama offers an uneven account of Kaczynski’s radicalisation and capture.
- Its Harvard storyline is stronger than the procedural investigation.
- Formulaic writing and an unconvincing lead performance limit its impact.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the film would argue that it effectively dramatises the psychological formation of its subject, particularly through compelling Harvard sequences exploring formative institutional experiences and their corrupting influence. With accomplished performances from established actors and a structured parallel narrative that contextualises the investigation, the film offers thoughtful engagement with how circumstance and authority shape the trajectory toward violence and radicalism.
The case against
Critics contend that the film's dual narrative structure fails to achieve thematic coherence, leaving both the personal and investigative strands underdeveloped and superficial. The formulaic dialogue and conventional true-crime presentation undermine the psychological intensity required to examine such dark subject matter, whilst overstated historical claims and uneven pacing result in a work lacking the analytical rigour and dramatic power necessary to do justice to this significant case.
Explained simply
Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, was an American domestic terrorist who sent bombs through the post over many years. His attacks killed three people and injured many others, while a lengthy FBI investigation sought to identify and catch him.
Kaczynski had studied mathematics at Harvard as a teenager and later lived in isolation. The film’s story links his university years with the investigation in the 1990s, when his brother recognised his writing and alerted authorities.
The case raised questions about how someone becomes radicalised and how investigators can identify a culprit across a series of attacks. It also brought scrutiny to the university research Kaczynski took part in, though the extent of its influence on his later actions remains debated.