When I clicked on this Netflix series I was half expecting the typical U.S. crime drama – lots of flashing lights, cops running around with guns drawn and cheesy dialog. I couldn't have been more wrong! This is a thoughtful true-crime drama which focuses on the intellectual battle between the F.B.I. profiler and the Unabomber.
I must confess that although I'd heard the name “Unabomber” I didn't actually know anything about the real-life criminal case. The series is based on the events that unfolded between 1978 and 1996. The F.B.I. was engaged in a cat and mouse game with a criminal mastermind. How clever was this criminal? Well, he had an IQ of 167, which is five points higher than Albert Einstein!
In nearly 20 years of investigation, the FBI had not discovered one clue which could help them identify the bomber responsible for 16 bombings which injured 23 people, killing 3. In a bid to break the case, a young criminal profiler is assigned to the F.B.I. task force. His experimental linguistic techniques might give the team its first breakthrough.
F.B.I. agent Jim Fitzgerald is played by Sam Worthington (Fractured), he delivers a convincing performance in his role as the profiler. However, Paul Bettany gives the stand-out performance as the criminal mastermind Ted Kaczynski. This eight-part series (each 40 minutes long) unearths the fascinating true story of the Unabomber, finally a crime drama which is both absorbing and entertaining – you can have your cake and eat it!
