New coverage portrays Netflix’s Unabomber as an unconvincing psychological drama, criticising its simplistic explanation of Ted Kaczynski’s radicalisation and its formulaic investigation plot. Although the film creates an effective early Cold War atmosphere, its argument that a Harvard experiment fuelled Kaczynski’s later violence is presented as too neat and insufficiently supported.

Directed by Janus Metz, the film focuses on Kaczynski’s time at Harvard, where he was subjected to a controversial study led by psychology professor Henry Murray, while also following events before his 1990s arrest in Montana. Jacob Tremblay captures Kaczynski’s youth but reportedly fails to convey his developing menace, whereas Russell Crowe plays Murray as an apparently caring figure concealing sinister motives.