Unabomber: In His Own Words (2020) User Reviews (31)

Liked it but..

[canixahut-52012 · 6/10 · 12 June 2020]

I mean if I wanted to listen to his neighbours i would watch "Unabomber:Interview with his neighbours" .

I mean i liked when Ted talked but it was too little , and i would liked to listen more closely the association with the test he partake in college and to what extent it modified its personality.

Missing a key character!

[gulhansaconger · 8/10 · 6 March 2020]

I enjoyed hearing from his family members, and all of the people that were involved with the case one way or the other. However, there was a key member that missing in this documentary, which I think is a shame. James R. Fitzgerald was the profiler in the Unabomber case, and he did play a huge role in solving this crime using forensic linguistics. He did analyze Ted's letters and manifesto, and did came up with a profile that was nowhere near what the FBI had at that point. His language analysis was too valuable to this case to be left out of this documentary, and pretend like someone else was responsible for the good work that Fitz did. He is who pioneered the field of forensic linguistics and that sure does deserve credit.

Hardly his own words

[Beevy · 6/10 · 5 April 2022]

The title and introduction to this doc suggests that we will see some in-depth interview with the unabomber. Unfortunately, we see just snippets of him talking. The actual shown footage of this interview and the images/videos we see when the background story is being told is underwhelming and constantly re-used throughout all 4 episodes. Interesting doc but could have been a lot better.

In depth doc

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 13 April 2020]

Dare I say too in depth? Some of the aspects were given a lot of backstory that didn't really need to be told. But overall a good documentary with relevant interviews. The documenters for the most part just stuck to the facts and didn't get caught in the weeds of people's opinions. It came across well.

Misleading title but it gets better and better.

[Mikael-wester · 8/10 · 23 May 2020]

Not in his own words, but plenty of tape recording of him speaking. The series improves as it goes along. Last episode is excellent and heartfelt. The human dilemma his brother went through is hard to grasp. In ''Manhunt: Unabomber'' the none documentary. I think the story is that the brother managed to make a deal about securing a non death sentence before naming Ted to the FBI. If I remember it rightly. He didn't. Both sides of the story is shown.

Interesting...

[ghostamongyou · 6/10 · 24 April 2020]

How and why does a handsome guy with a PhD end up isolated, filthy, and alone in a teeny tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere obsessing over bomb making and trying to hurt people? This documentary doesn't do a good job of answering that, but it does try. It's worth a watch.

I Remember Seeing the Manifesto in the Paper: Eerie

[iquine · 8/10 · 28 July 2020]

(Flash Review)

This was as well-crafted a documentary just like the Unabomber's more advanced mail bombs; high quality. This film follows the Unabomber from childhood to recluse and settles into chronologically revealing his quickly advancing bomb making process through the year, which started about once a year in the beginning. After a large gap, he reemerges with gusto and uses more advanced techniques. Who are his targets? Oddly they are scientists, technology engineers and professors. Once light is shone onto his well-articulated writing, you'll understand he was against the massive technological system within society and the stresses it puts on human beings. This culminates into his infamous manifesto published in all the major newspapers used as blackmail. His story is well-told and edited nicely to keep the pace clipping along. There are a decent amount of clips of him speaking, which are pretty rare apparently. Perhaps the film's title oversold that point.

Any Truths Negated By The Destruction & Death

[AudioFileZ · 6/10 · 3 March 2020]

It would be too generous to the perp to give this film high marks. That is because it veers into a kind of sympathy that a kernel of truth must be heard at any cost. I say kernel because it may be truth that the technological revolution threatens humanity in many ways, but the wholesale destruction of it would be even more destructive. Thus there is little rational reason to the "manifesto's" call for the elimination of all technical and industrial progress. And, of course, there is no humanity in killing and maiming the innocent. TK was a very warped serial killer and it negates any small truths he claims to stand for. If he wasn't so pathologically unfeeling perhaps he could have been balanced in both his thinking and approach. That was not the case and this stands out here. I rate this a 6 because it is simply humanizing a monster too much yet if viewed with that caveat it is not without some value. By the linear chronological reviewing of Kaciynski's long rein of terror it is both fascinating yet harrowing however.

Worth a watch.

[jay-342-54700 · 8/10 · 3 March 2020]

The opening song is "Man" by The Worst.

Figured I'd throw that out there since I fell in love with the song as soon as I heard it. Reminded me of "True Detective" or Leonard Cohen.

I may not have enjoyed it if I'd known more about the UNABOMB case because others are saying it has the same info, but this is really well produced. It does feature more words from Kaczynski than I'd ever heard and am certain it's a lot more than has been out there.

It's not the gold mine of info that "The Confessor Killer" was, but it's informative and entertaining. Looking forward to more in what seems like a series from Netflix.

Piece of evidence missed?

[tommaidment-67955 · 7/10 · 13 June 2022]

In Episode 3- of the series, it is interesting to note that when the New York Times receive a letter from the Unabomber. FBI supervisory, Joel Moss states that there was no 'good forensic evidence' for the FBI to go on until they see the Nathan R imprint. However 6 minutes 13 seconds in there is a stamp with a panda saying 'do something wild'. I would have thought that may have been a key clue given that earlier in the documentary they were trying to connect 'Wood' (victim) also material used in the bomb making, could well have lead them to check more rural habitant areas. It's also criminal (excuse the pun!) that there is no mention of James R. Fitzgerald, (criminal profiler/forensic linguist) as he was arguably key to solving the entire case!

i thought it was a great series

[Snakeskinzjr · 8/10 · 28 February 2022]

I saw Manhunt : Unabomber with Sam Worthington and also Ted K , and i think this documentary was better than those two. The tapes that were played throughout the series with Kaczinski talking nonchalantly about the killings were pretty eye opening. The interviews with the locals that were Teds neighbors and the interview with his brother were great and really added to the story. To this day this was the biggest and most expensive manhunt in the history of the FBI. Getting his manifesto published was his undoing. The last episode where they attempted to blame some psychological experiment he volunteered for at Harvard was the only part i didnt like , overall the episodes were very well done , recommend.

El terrorismo es horrible

[juan_moran · 7/10 · 5 March 2020]

It seems horrible to me that in some moments they see well what he did, terrorists and dictatorships that are bad, I say it for all the left-handers who surely support his actions, it is good that they detail perhaps the aggravating factors of his behavior, we must know everything to judge, of Anyway, he is still a murderer, something ironic that the person who took the example of life was against violence and not all the technology

So much for "In his own words".

[terrasweat · 3/10 · 25 February 2020]

This is just a bunch of people with their opinions. There's virtually no moments of him speaking. Which was supposedly the point.

It was brilliant, just like the show UNABOMBER!

[Mahmood-i-saeed · 10/10 · 24 February 2020]

I'd have loved even more it the interviews were video tapped. Audio tapes were recorded in 98, an year after its arrest so video taping was possible.

Just the right length

[jgardiner86 · 8/10 · 14 April 2020]

I just finished watching, in one session i may add so that alone should tell you that its entertaining. The mini series does a good job of giving the accounts of those closest to him both personally and proximity wise. Theres plenty of detail and first hand accounts from former FBI agents who worked the case. The case spans a long period and the use of a timeline tracking and numbering the bombings although simplistic is effective and useful. There is also the use of recordings of Ted himself which offer some insight to a complicated mind. The content dealing with his life prior to thr bombings i found especially interesting with him being accepted to Harvard at 16.The inclusion of recordings of his participation in questionable Psychological experiments whilst at Harvard also serves more light on what his mental state may have been. That said the final episode felt a little like it was trying to explain away his behaviour and lift up the fact that his writings were well written and intellectual aswell as very insightful and poignant in todays society. At 4 episodes its just the right length and easily watched in one evening. The intro music is also eerily good.

Outstanding!

[timpeaks-144-787270 · 10/10 · 18 March 2020]

If you are a lover of true crime docuseries you will binge this up! The Unabomber was a rare bird and this is series has interviews with all the key players.

Excellent documentary series.

[trackerzsuk · 9/10 · 12 May 2021]

This is simply one of the best documentary series I've watched in years. I feel it necessary to post my own review, partially to rebut some of what I feel is erroneous information posted here by previous reviewers.

The series is well balanced in its coverage, It features Kaczynski's brother and sister in law, law enforcement who worked on the case, neighbors in Montana and people who knew him in his college days. . It also features profilers, journalists and psychologists. Several victims appear, some from old new coverage but others interviewed specifically for the film. In all, the series covers all the bases as far as viewpoints.

At the center of the film is a recorded interview Kaczynski granted.to Theresa Kintz, an editor of Earth First Journal in 1999. Don't be put off by other reviewer's complaints that the interview is hardly featured, that simply isn't true..Kaczynski pontificates at length and reveals himself as the sociopathic narcissist that he is. It's chilling to listen to his casual disregard and contempt he expresses towards his victims.

Finally, the experiment Ted participated in while he was at Harvard. At least one reviewer here gives the impression that the film makers use this to try to paint Kaczynski as a victim of the CIA. That simply isn't true... Though the experiment is covered, it is not covered in excess. Earlier parts of the documentary establish that Kaczynski had deep seated psychological troubles long before he arrived at Harvard. At most the film suggest that Kaczynski should not have been allowed to to participate in the experiment due to his age and already existing anti-social tendencies. .The film certainly doesn't imply that Kaczynski became a bomber because of this experiment.

One of my favorite parts of the series are the depictions of the FBI/ATF re-creations of Kaczynski's bombs. I've read several books on the case and have never seen so many of these re-created bomb mock ups. You can really see why he was dubbed "the Junk Yard Bomber" before law enforcement settled on the Unabomber moniker

If you are curious about the Unabomber case and don't feel like reading any books, this is definitely the film you want to watch. Kaczynski is adequately featured and is in no way depicted as a victim.

Whats with his neighbor? Could've been easily 7 if they removed the neighbor clips

[fayalnuhait · 4/10 · 28 December 2021]

This is supposed to be a documentary that goes into depth talking about a serial bomber, but every 5 minutes his annoying neighbor (the youngest one) has to tell us about how SHE "feels" and how SHE "knew all along" and how SHE "feared him" growing up! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOU!!!!!! Oh my lord she's annoying!!!!! I'm watching this documentary to understand why he did what he did and how he got caught NOT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT! Honestly half of her clips is about how she can't imagine growing up next to a serial killer and the other half is about how she feels about him.. useless input that nobody asked for!

He has a point no one gets

[aylalee-65291 · 10/10 · 21 April 2022]

No documentary has ever covered what they did to him in that hospital when he was a baby or what this experiment they did to him at school. Not enough from his own words as it was called it's always about the killing & how the FBI are so useless at catching him & ever would have if his family didn't betray him. He has something to say & no one listens. Humans need more Teds. A lot of whining about how they didn't know him.

"in his own words"!?

[AlphaBravoCheesecake · 1/10 · 11 May 2020]

I will keep this short. This show is 95% other people telling us what we should think about serial bomber Ted Kaczynski and a tiny proportion of his own words, specially picked to give no real context and diminish what he claims in his manifesto.

Stick with his manifesto if you want to know the mind and workings of the man.

Disappointing

[saramgia · 1/10 · 1 March 2020]

All four episodes regurgitate information provided more briefly in every other documentary on the subject. Very few words are the Unabomber's. The end opines that the Unabomber was right, but he of course shouldn't have killed people.

In his own... relatives' (& co) words?!

[matildetducco · 1/10 · 13 September 2021]

There's almost no Ted in there. The title itslef for such a documentary in ridiculous. There's plenty of his brother, his sister-in.law, FBI agents and former agent, reporters and other people talking about him and about the facts... even a CIA agent, but just some bits of the Unabomber here and there, with no such logical sequence. So very disappointing.

Waste of time

[nikospanayotou · 2/10 · 18 January 2022]

A lot of irrelevant material from the investigative journalist telling us he used a paper map instead of GPS to go to the trial to the psychologist who never met or studied the unabomber.

We get no real insights into what he believed in or thought apart from just a few out of context chunks of his interview which should be the main point of focus especially since the show is called in his own words. The audio/video collected is not enough with the same pictures shown over and over again.

Cheap reality-TV-like content overall, it's a shame because it's a very interesting subject that in the right hands could be made into an amazing series.

Not a real documentary

[vincemckenney · 2/10 · 14 February 2022]

When I started watching this I believed it would be a valid documentary, but I soon realized that it was more concerned with pushing a radical social philosophy than presenting unbiased facts in the form of a story. It's pretty sketchy to try and portray Theresa Kintz, John Zerzan, Tim Lewis and David Skrbina as authority figures. They are radicals who advocate violence in the name of their agenda. Ted Kaczynski is not a victim of an oppressive system. He's a cold-blooded killer of innocent people.

Incredibly Disappointing- Misleading Title

[mym-3 · 1/10 · 20 June 2023]

I should have known better than to think a mainstream outlet would actually allow Kaczynski to explain his beliefs "in his own words". If you want to understand what's in his manifesto, why he did these bombings & why he developed a following, don't waste your time watching this overlong, dragged-out series because you won't find out.

On top of everything the filmmaking style is utterly cliche Netflix boilerplate. Zero imagination went into these un-artful episodes. They open with imagery of obsolete media like cassette tapes that were still in use in the 90's (so original!), and manual typewriters that absolutely no one was using in the 90's- but hey who cares, it looks cool (?) and will be easily consumed b/c it's been done 1000s of times before. So unrewarding on every level.