Manhunt: Unabomber - Limited Series Review
This review of Manhunt: Unabomber is spoiler-free!
Dramatizations of real-life events have become a gold mine for media enterprises of all kinds. Many film companies have been leaning into the past to create films instead of going for rather unique and creative stories. While sure that sounds like me criticizing the film industry, I don't necessarily see it that way. Sometimes when trends arise in TV or film, its best to follow them. Like the great superhero revolution of recent years, we've had some of the best shows come later on in the revolution because they've had time to learn from the earlier ones. Manhunt comes in this same vein, after some rather quiet shows in the genre, it feels like its finally starting to hit its stride. With high star power actors such as Paul Bettany and Sam Worthington taking the major roles in this story, there was a guarantee that the show was at least willing to do right by this true manhunt.
The reality of this show is that it really fleshes out the overall hunt for the Unabomber and that's not necessarily something that isn't known by this point. What this show does exceptionally well though is that you get an idea of both the side of the people and FBI, along with the actual Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. What I like about this is something that Mindhunter also did extremely well, it allowed you to get into the overall psyche of the protagonist of the story: Jim Fitzgerald, and just how similar it is to that of the Unabomber. In the means of finding out who the Unabomber is, Fitzgerald has to do something that hasn't been done before: forensic linguistics. There's no evidence of who the Unabomber is, except for his writings. He has a story to tell and puts it in the hands of the FBI and the media at large to decide what to do with it. This gives James the opportunity to learn who he is through his writing. The story, while not always the most exciting is very gripping. Taking something like linguistics and making it so enjoyable to learn and understand is incredible and I give it up to the team at Discovery for being able to do something like this. Overall, I was happy with the story.
When thinking about characters, there's truly only two that come to mind with a few minor players that do factor in as well. Obviously, it's Sam Worthington's Agent Fitzgerald and Paul Bettany's Unabomber. Fitzgerald is the overall main character of the story, and Worthington plays him excellently. Worthington is an underestimated man who knows he can crack the code, he just needs support from those above him. His desire to succeed and will for the truth make him a powerful character. Worthington captures this drive brilliantly and I lost myself in his character. Bettany's performance as Kaczynski though is on another level. Truthfully, the Unabomber isn't just a bad person, he's also a victim who was tortured throughout his life and feels a need to speak his mind. Learning about who he was was excellent and added more depth to the story than just a faceless villain. Bettany's performance improves the show as a whole and the relationship between him and Worthington makes the show worth the price of admission alone.
The thing about Manhunt for me though is that this show develops and builds exceptionally well. There's really only one person you can truly root for, that being Fitzgerald. He has a goal in mind: stop the Unabomber. Everyone else wants to face things with the most logical means possible, even if it means getting the wrong person. They're worried about public perception and the overall narrative instead of worrying about saving people. The deeper nature of the series also comes out when the Unabomber Manifesto comes out, revealing his beliefs about the world. People begin to understand him and why he's doing this, which makes it even more conflicting. He has a point to be made and wants to be heard, that's why he's committing these atrocities. The build manages this well, showing just how serious of a killer he is, while also building up Fitzgerald's reputation with the FBI in stopping him. The build also kept me hooked throughout the 8 episodes of the show without question.
Looking back on Manhunt, it's tough to really nail down why exactly I enjoy this show so much. There's something incredibly real about the show (man I'm good at puns), and just how well it captures the subject. I had no idea about the history of the Unabomber, and while I don't necessarily feel bad that he was locked away, I did feel a tinge of remorse. Overall, there isn't much more I can say without giving too much detail, Discovery may have just opened up its first anthology series in Manhunt, I really hope they nail down the second season for this series that has the potential to do great things. Regardless of the future, Manhunt: Unabomber has made a place for itself as a great historical series, check it out as soon as you can!
8.5/10
