April 3rd, 1996.
The day the Unabomber was arrested, bringing a halestorm of media and cultural attention as well as an end to a reign of terror that spanned almost two decades. The Unabomber became a myth, a pariah, a joke, a story so outside of the norm that it couldn’t possibly be true. I remember when the Unabomber was arrested and what that meant because I also remember the bombings. As the new Netflix film, ‘Unabomber,’ is set to hit screens this Friday, September 25th, old questions are being dug up about one of America’s most infamous criminals.
Ted Kaczynski was a young genius attending Harvard, who took part in a wildly unethical study under the supervision of his professor, Henry Murray. Agent Joanne Miller is the federal officer who would arrest him 30 years later. Detailing the life and arrest of the infamouse Unabomber. ‘Unabomber’ is a captivating attempt to add a new layer to Kaczynski. While the film successfully presents it’s version of the “why,” it’s attempt to identify the cause and effect of the Unabomber is disconnected.
The Root Of It All
‘Unabomber’ utilizes two separate timelines in an attempt to explain why Ted Kaczynski went from Harvard prodigy to America’s Most Wanted. Bouncing back and forth between 1958, when Kaczynski entered into a study, and 1996, the year that Kaczynski is finally arrested, bringing an end to his reign of terror, ‘Unabomber’ attempts to give audiences a Kaczynski that is more than the man that federal officers pulled from a cabin in Montana. While the film tells two captivating narratives, it fails to connect the two in any kind of meaningful way. The study is rarely mentioned in the ’96 timeline if at all. The disconnection makes the plot points come off as more tongue and cheek, than a succinct reasoning.
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The two stories, when taking individually, are well organized and compelling, however. When taken as parts of a whole, ‘Unabomber’ is an exceptional film that might have worked better told in the chapters of a series. The film has an up hill battle as it is with Kaczynski fading into historical obscurity, but the stories may give his ghost a resurrection and new interest. That, of course, will bring new scrutiny as well.
Who’s The Real Monster?
While studying at Harvard, a young Kaczynski volunteered for a study conducted by Professor Henry Murray. The highly unethical study saw the young prodigy debate an upperclassman while also being subjected psychological abuse. ‘Unabomber’s focus on this aspect of Kaczynski’s life in an effort to provide clarity to his crimes is unique to say the least. This perspective is a rarity. Had the film found a better way to connect the present with the past, ‘Unabomber’ would have had a much more complete film and thorough story as there is a lot of meat left on the bone here.
Where the film did not lack is in casting. Russell Crowe, Shailene Woodley, and Jacob Tremblay are uniquely suited for their respective roles. Crowe’s pompous Murray matched perfectly with Tremblay’s overconfident Kaczynski. These performances give ‘Unabomber’ more depth than the over arching story truly allows. The sequence between Tremblay and Crowe in the “debate room” needs to have each in the awards season conversation. Their work was transcendent.
Final Thought:
‘Unabomber’ is a unique approach to an extremely complex subject matter. The film provides a well acted and beautifully presented, albeit strikingly disconnected, narrative that puts Russell Crowe and Jacob Trembly in the awards conversation.
The film will most assuredly drive the Unabomber back into the public stratosphere. Providing an opportunity for a new generation to learn about one of America’s most infamous terrorists.
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