Unabomber, which rose to the top of Netflix’s list of most-watched films, divided viewers. The film tells the story of Theodore Kaczynski, who caused the deaths of three people and injured 23 others in mail bomb attacks between 1978 and 1995. Kaczynski, who was captured in 1996, confessed to his crimes and was sentenced to life in prison, took his own life in prison on June 10, 2023, at the age of 81. The production focuses on his transformation from a brilliant Harvard student into a terrorist. The 19-year-old Jacob Tremblay, who plays the lead role, is joined by Russell Crowe, who portrays the Harvard professor who influenced Kaczynski’s life, and Shailene Woodley, who plays the FBI agent who followed the case. The film, which reached the top spot one day after being added to the platform, received a 19% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some viewers said they had wasted an hour and a half and were disappointed despite the cast. TheWrap and Vulture also harshly criticized the film. However, some viewers praised the screenplay, performances and production quality.
Why it matters
The film’s rapid reach among a broad audience opens up a discussion about how a real-life terrorist case is reinterpreted through cinema. The disparity between critics’ and viewers’ assessments, despite its success in the viewing rankings, shows that popularity on streaming platforms is not, on its own, a measure of a production’s narrative quality. Keeping Kaczynski’s life story—from his academic background to the attacks—at the center raises the question of to what extent viewers can see the victims of the attacks and their social consequences while focusing on the perpetrator’s transformation. The disconnect between expectations surrounding the cast and the low approval rating also demonstrates that well-known actors do not guarantee a production’s reception. For this reason, the film stands as an example worth examining both in terms of the boundaries of true-crime narratives and the tension between commercial interest and critical acceptance.