Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Movie Meter: 6/10
Release: 2026
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Available: Netflix
I went into UNABOMBER expecting another generic take on Ted Kaczynski and his madness. However, in this movie they dive deep into his villain arc.
The movie jumps between a young Ted Kaczynski at Harvard and the FBI investigation that eventually led to his capture. Jacob Tremblay plays the younger Kaczynski, and he was easily one of the biggest surprises of the movie. I still picture this guy as the little kid from Good Boys, and now he’s playing the Unabomber. Makes me feel old. But he was great. He plays Kaczynski as an awkward, incredibly intelligent, isolated, and increasingly angry without turning him into some cartoon psychopath.
Russell Crowe plays Harvard professor Henry Murray, who puts Kaczynski through a series of psychological experiments while he’s a student. Crowe is exactly the type of actor you want in a role like this. He’s unsettling without having to do much at all. The Harvard portion was probably the most interesting part of the movie for me because I knew about Kaczynski and the bombings, but I didn’t know much about what happened to him when he was younger.
Shailene Woodley led the FBI side of the story, and I liked that portion too, although this is where the movie takes some pretty major liberties with the actual story. Her character, Joanne Miller, is fictional, so don’t watch this thinking you’re getting a documentary. The movie definitely bends reality to make the investigation more entertaining.
And I’m okay with that to an extent because it worked as a movie.
The smartest thing UNABOMBER does is avoid making Kaczynski sympathetic while still trying to understand how someone becomes Ted Kaczynski. There’s a difference between explaining someone and excusing them, and for the most part I thought the movie understood that.
It’s dark, moves quickly, has a great cast, and at around an hour and forty minutes doesn’t overstay its welcome. More movies need to remember that last part.
If you’re interested in true crime or just want a solid thriller that doesn’t require committing eight hours to another Netflix documentary series, this one is absolutely worth watching.
Rating: 6/10