Russell Crowe’s latest crime thriller tops the Netflix charts.

Netflix has a knack for diving into the lives of infamous criminals, and this month is no exception. Following the release of *Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story*, the platform has shifted its focus to one of America’s most notorious domestic terrorists.

It seems that Netflix viewers are quite intrigued by this dark chapter in history.

The latest crime drama, *Unabomber*, featuring Russell Crowe and Jacob Tremblay, has quickly climbed to the top of Netflix’s global movie chart just days after its debut. Released on September 25, *Unabomber* became the number-one movie worldwide by September 27, surpassing titles like *Best of the Best*, *The Whisper Man*, *A Minecraft Movie*, and *Black Adam*.

This true-crime thriller blends a psychological character study with elements of a police procedural. The narrative unfolds across two timelines, alternating between Ted Kaczynski’s formative years at Harvard and the FBI investigation that ultimately resolved the Unabomber case.

Tremblay portrays Kaczynski as a teenage genius at Harvard, where his brilliance is overshadowed by increasing isolation and controversial psychological experiments led by professor Henry Murray, played by Crowe. These experiments play a crucial role in exploring the experiences that shaped Kaczynski into the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber.

The second timeline jumps ahead decades, focusing on the FBI’s efforts to track down the individual behind a series of bombings. Shailene Woodley stars as Joanne Miller, an FBI agent deeply invested in uncovering the Unabomber’s identity and motivations. This investigation adds a procedural element to the film, as the FBI follows leads while Miller becomes convinced that understanding Kaczynski’s psychology is key to solving the case.

The Harvard storyline leans into psychological thriller and dark academia, while the FBI narrative resembles a traditional manhunt. Some critics have noted that the two timelines don’t always mesh seamlessly, with the procedural segments feeling more conventional compared to the more unique scenes centered on Kaczynski’s early life.

Despite its streaming success, early reviews have been largely unfavorable. *Unabomber* holds a 23% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, with some reviews highlighting the performances of Tremblay and Crowe while critiquing the screenplay and its conventional true-crime approach.