UNABOMBER on Netflix is a thriller drama inspired by the true story of the Harvard student who became infamous for his actions. Specifically, it dives into the psychological experiments he was subjected to years earlier. Jacob Tremblay is very impressive as a young Ted Kaczynski. Read our full Unabomber movie review here!
UNABOMBER is a Netflix thriller drama about Ted Kaczynski. He went from being a Harvard student to becoming the infamous Unabomber. Jacob Tremblay stars in the title role (or a young version of the same person) with Russell Crowe in another key role. Also, Shailene Woodley and Annabelle Wallis co-star. Overall, the casting of this Netflix movie is full of amazing actors.
In fact, this is one of those Netflix movies that should have been out in wide theatrical release. The cast alone should’ve been enough to sell plenty of tickets. In any case, this movie is obviously inspired by the real story and not a documentary. Still, overall it stays much closer to the facts than many other true crime productions. The runtime is a fairly crisp 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Continue reading our Unabomber movie review below. Find it on Netflix from September 25, 2026.
The mind behind the madness
Yes, Unabomber does try to focus on the mind, not just “the man”, behind the madness that cost the lives of three people and injured many more. This was also the case with the documentary that focused on trying to understand Ted Kaczynski. Or maybe not understand the person now, but how he became someone who would hurt so many innocent and random people.
DO CHECK OUT…
In this Netflix true crime thriller drama, the story of Ted Kaczynski (Jacob Tremblay) begins in 1958. At this time, Ted is very far from being the dangerous man he would later be known as. Instead, he’s a young prodigy attending Harvard University. We get to know this young man as someone kind and smart. Yes, despite the fact that he will later become the Unabomber, who made everyone fear mail bombs.
Of course, it’s not like Ted Kaczynski was ever an average kid. He never found it easy to relate to classmates, and instead developed a relationship with the psychologist Henry Murray (Russell Crowe). Unfortunately, this results in Ted being a subject of the psychologist, who uses him for experiments that appear to have driven Ted to his brutal actions by breaking his mind.
Jacob Tremblay as Ted Kaczynski
While the entire cast of Unabomber is important to ensure strong storytelling, the role of Ted Kaczynski is obviously key to everything. Getting Jacob Tremblay cast in this role is genius. Both for the movie and Jacob’s career, as this allows Jacob Tremblay to move further away from his days as a child and teen actor. With this role, he is very much portraying an adult.
No, he is not portraying Ted Kaczynski at the age when he gets arrested. That is handled by actor Michael Laurence (Dexter: New Blood, The Last Thing Mary Saw). However, the focus is on the young Ted. Through the immense talent of Jacob Tremblay, we see how he becomes the version who we will know as a criminal.
As already mentioned, Russell Crowe also plays a key role in the evolution of Ted’s personality, while Shailene Woodley plays the FBI agent tasked with catching the Unabomber. In this Netflix movie, her name is Joanna Miller, but I think her character is probably built on many different agents who worked the case.
And not just because I doubt a woman would be given this task – actually, she probably would even today, decades later. Also because we see the FBI agents at the arrest during the end credits, and there was no woman present. Do stay tuned for those end credit images and information, though. It includes the voice of the real Ted Kaczinsky as well.
In any case, Shailene Woodley (Paradise) once again delivers a strong portrayal of an investigator on a mission.
Finally, in some of the other key roles, you can look forward to seeing Annabelle Wallis (Silent Night, Vanished Into the Night), Alexander Ludwig (Night Teeth), Steven Ogg (Sweetness), and Marc Menchaca (Dexter: Resurrection, Barron’s Cove, Alone).
Watch Unabomber on Netflix
The 2026 Netflix movie Unabomber was directed by Janus Metz. He previously directed the 2022 Prime Video movie All the Old Knives starring Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton. Also, he directed episodes of the Star Wars series Andor and an episode of True Detective. He is a fellow Dane (as in from Denmark). And yes, I am proud of what he has created with this Netflix movie.
The screenplay comes from writers Sam Chalsen (Sleepy Hollow series) & Nelson Greaves (Unfriended). I am not entirely pleased with the way this story is told. This is a good movie, but by no means a great movie. What makes it good is mostly the pace and the amazing cast.
As already mentioned, Unabomber is very dependent on Jacob Tremblay, who is continuing his strong career. Now, as an adult. I’ve been crazy about the talent of this actor since he was a little child in movies like Room (also based on a true story) and Doctor Sleep. I haven’t had the chance to watch him in Sovereign (2025) yet, so the most recent movie I’ve watched him in was The Life of Chuck.
I cannot wait to see what Jacob Tremblay does next.
UNABOMBER arrives on Netflix on September 25, 2026.
📺 Watch trailer
Plot
In this movie inspired by true events, Ted Kaczynski’s path from Harvard prodigy and test subject to the Unabomber unfolds as the FBI hunts him down.
Details
Director: Janus Metz
Writers: Sam Chalsen & Nelson Greaves
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jacob Tremblay, Shailene Woodley, Annabelle Wallis, Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg, Marc Menchaca
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