Netflix Just Turned One Of America’s Most Infamous True-Crime Stories Into A Gripping New Drama… Jacob Tremblay plays Ted Kaczynski, tracing his transformation from a 16-year-old Harvard prodigy into the man behind a nearly two-decade bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23. Russell Crowe stars as Harvard professor Henry Murray, while Shailene Woodley plays FBI agent Joanne Miller in a story that moves between Kaczynski’s early years and the manhunt that eventually closed in on him. A notorious case. A disturbing transformation. And a side of the story few people know.

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UNABOMBER: Russell Crowe And Jacob Tremblay Lead Netflix’s New True-Story Thriller

Netflix’s latest true-story thriller revisits one of the most notorious criminal cases in modern American history — but rather than focusing only on the manhunt, UNABOMBER goes back to the years that shaped Ted Kaczynski before he became known by the infamous name.

Directed by Janus Metz, the new film stars Jacob Tremblay as a young Kaczynski and Russell Crowe as Harvard psychology professor Henry Murray. Shailene Woodley plays FBI agent Joanne Miller, whose pursuit of Kaczynski forms the second strand of the story.

Inspired by true events, UNABOMBER arrived on Netflix on September 25, 2026, and runs for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

A Harvard Prodigy Before The Unabomber

The film traces Kaczynski’s transformation from a 16-year-old mathematical prodigy at Harvard into the man responsible for a nearly two-decade mail-bombing campaign.

Between 1978 and 1995, the Unabomber’s attacks killed three people and injured 23 others, eventually triggering a nationwide investigation that lasted for years.

Rather than beginning with Kaczynski as the fully formed figure known from history, the film looks back at his early years and asks how his experiences at Harvard intersected with the path he would later take.

Netflix describes the story as following Kaczynski from Harvard prodigy and test subject to the Unabomber while the FBI closes in on him.

Russell Crowe in a dark suit and tie, looking serious in a dimly lit room.

Russell Crowe Plays The Professor At The Centre Of Kaczynski’s Harvard Years

A major part of the story revolves around Henry Murray, the Harvard professor played by Russell Crowe.

Kaczynski becomes involved in a series of controversial psychological experiments conducted by Murray. The experience becomes an important part of the film’s exploration of the young student and the forces that shaped him.

Crowe’s role gives the film a second perspective on Kaczynski’s early development, while the story avoids presenting his later crimes as a simple or straightforward transformation.

Netflix describes Murray as a Harvard psychology professor who draws the young Kaczynski into his orbit, with consequences that continue to resonate decades later.

The Story Moves Between Two Timelines

One of the film’s defining structural choices is its use of two timelines.

The first follows Kaczynski during his Harvard years, as he struggles to fit in and becomes involved in Murray’s experiments. The second moves forward to the FBI investigation and the hunt for the Unabomber.

Director Janus Metz explained that the film essentially crosscuts between the making of the Unabomber and the capture of the Unabomber.

That structure allows the audience to see the young man Kaczynski was alongside the nationwide investigation that eventually sought to identify and capture him.

Russell Crowe in a black suit, sitting in a chair, holding a glass of drink.

Shailene Woodley Leads The FBI Investigation

Shailene Woodley plays Joanne Miller, the FBI agent at the centre of the later investigation.

Unlike Kaczynski and Murray, Miller is a fictional character created for the film. She becomes the audience’s entry point into the manhunt, attempting to understand who the Unabomber is and what drives him.

Woodley has also pointed to a parallel between Miller and Kaczynski: both characters are unwilling to ignore their instincts, although those instincts take them in radically different directions.

The investigation provides the film with its thriller element, as the FBI attempts to piece together the identity of the person behind the bombing campaign while the story continues moving back into Kaczynski’s past.

Jacob Tremblay Takes On A Difficult Role

Jacob Tremblay in a white shirt and tie, seated at a table with microphones.

For Jacob Tremblay, playing Kaczynski meant portraying him before he became the notorious Unabomber.

Tremblay said he was initially surprised to learn that Kaczynski had attended Harvard. He was also struck by the fact that Kaczynski was already a mathematical prodigy at 16.

Rather than approaching the character as a caricature, Tremblay said he wanted to portray him as a real person with genuine emotions. Director Metz similarly said the actor brought the sensitivity and intelligence the role required.

That approach is central to the film, which spends considerable time with Kaczynski as a young student before connecting his Harvard years to the manhunt that followed decades later.

Who Else Stars In UNABOMBER?

Shailene Woodley in a black suit, holding a phone, stands in a living room with a man in the background.

Alongside Tremblay, Crowe and Woodley, the cast includes Annabelle Wallis as Christiana Morgan, Murray’s academic partner and co-director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic.

The supporting cast features Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg and Marc Menchaca.

The film was written by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, with Sophie Cassidy producing for 2.0 Entertainment in association with MRC. Janus Metz directs the film.

What Critics Are Saying

The film has received a mixed critical response.

Screen Rant described it as an unusual and fragmented thriller, while The Telegraph gave the film two stars and criticised its approach.

Other reviews have been more positive. Irish Independent called it “gripping”, while LCJ Reviews praised the performances, describing the film as watchable while noting that it was not as layered or gripping as some other true-crime dramas.

The differing reactions reflect the film’s unusual focus: rather than simply recounting the bombing campaign and the FBI hunt, UNABOMBER spends much of its time exploring Kaczynski’s formative years and his relationship with Murray.

UNABOMBER Is Now Streaming On Netflix

For viewers interested in true-crime stories, psychological thrillers and dramas based on real events, UNABOMBER offers a dramatized look at one of the most notorious criminal investigations in American history.

The film runs for 1 hour and 40 minutes and is now available to stream on Netflix.

Rather than treating the case solely as a manhunt, the film moves between Kaczynski’s early years at Harvard and the FBI investigation that eventually brought the Unabomber into focus — creating a story built around both the crime and the complicated path that preceded it.