Netflix's latest crime drama, Unabomber, starring Russell Crowe and Jacob Tremblay, has rapidly ascended to the number one position on the streaming giant's worldwide movie chart. Released on September 25, the film registered as the top movie globally by September 27, according to data from FlixPatrol. It currently ranks above other titles such as Best of the Best and The Whisper Man on the global chart.
About 'Unabomber'
The film intertwines a psychological character study with elements of a police procedural, exploring the radicalization of Ted Kaczynski and the FBI's subsequent investigation. Unabomber navigates two distinct timelines: one focusing on Kaczynski's early years as a Harvard prodigy, and the other detailing the FBI's efforts to apprehend the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber.
Jacob Tremblay portrays Kaczynski during his time at Harvard, depicting a brilliant but increasingly isolated young man subjected to controversial psychological experiments. These experiments, overseen by Harvard professor Henry Murray, played by Russell Crowe, form a significant part of the film's exploration into the experiences and ideas that shaped Kaczynski before his transformation into the Unabomber.
The narrative also follows Joanne Miller, an FBI agent played by Shailene Woodley, who becomes deeply invested in understanding the Unabomber's motivations. This investigative thread provides the procedural aspect of the movie, as the FBI pursues leads while Miller grows convinced that understanding Kaczynski's psychology is key to solving the case.
While the Harvard-centric portions delve into psychological thriller and dark academia themes, the FBI storyline adopts a more conventional manhunt approach. Some critics have noted that the film's dual timelines do not always integrate seamlessly, with the procedural elements perceived as more conventional compared to the scenes focusing on Kaczynski's formative years.
Initial critical reviews for Unabomber have been largely unfavorable, despite its strong performance on Netflix. The film holds a 23% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers acknowledging the performances of Tremblay and Crowe while expressing criticism of the screenplay and its adherence to familiar true-crime narrative structures.