Russell Crowe's New Netflix Crime Thriller Officially Polarizes Critics On Rotten Tomatoes

Published Sep 25, 2026, 9:24 AM EDT

Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. 

During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show. 

Russell Crowe's new Netflix movie isn't exactly winning over critics.

The Oscar winner has become a dominant force in streaming. Whether his movies flop at the box office, they are bound to find a new audience on streaming and ultimately top the charts. However, Crowe's new Netflix crime thriller, Unabomber, changes the game as one of his few movies to exclusively release on streaming, and the first reviews are in.

With 10 reviews, Unabomber splits critics with a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes and ties with Crowe's The Pope's Exorcist and The Next Three Days. Meanwhile, the Oscar-winning actor ends his 2026 schedule with mixed results as the Netflix movie narrowly beats out his action thriller, The Get Out (45%). However, The Weight (93%), which is now in theaters, and Beast (81%) earned critical acclaim.

Directed by Janus Metz Pedersen, the new movie is based on the true story of Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber, who terrorized the United States for nearly two decades. Netflix's version follows two timelines, with Jacob Tremblay portraying the titular character at Harvard University. Crowe plays his professor, Henry Murray, who used him as a test subject.

Every Movie Or TV Show About The Unabomber	Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score	Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Manhunt: Unabomber (2017)	93%	92%
Ted K (2021)	85%	50%
Unabomber (2026)	50%	N/A

Interestingly, it's the second time that Netflix has tackled the Unabomber story. Starring Paul Bettany as the Unabomber, Manhunt season 1 was critically acclaimed with a stellar 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and is considered one of the best adaptations of the true story. A 2021 movie, Ted K, starring Sharlto Copley, also received positive reviews with 85%. One of the earliest movies about the FBI's most wanted, Unabomber: The True Story, doesn't have a score.

Most critics agree that the core performances, especially Tremblay's portrayal, were the highlight. Crowe showcases an intensely manipulative professor, while Shailene Woodley delivers an empathetic performance as the FBI profiler. Unfortunately, the movie's issues stem from the dual timeline, as the story is unfocused and oversimplified in an attempt to address Kaczynski's origins and his radicalization.

In ScreenRant's review of Unabomber, Simon Gallagher expresses a similar sentiment, saying the crime thriller "frustratingly misses the mark and feels like a movie with an identity problem" and the "second timeline is undernourished." Awarding a 5 out of 10 stars, the Netflix thriller "is an odd movie that is both fragmented and, frankly, feels a bit problematic," but the performances were the saving grace.

Although Crowe has starred in a few streaming originals, Unabomber is his first Netflix movie in a starring role. However, he previously appeared in Brad Pitt's War Machine, but the role was a cameo and uncredited. As his 2026 year comes to a close, Crowe still has a busy schedule ahead. The Last Druid and Billion Dollar Spy are in post-production, while the Highlander reboot with Henry Cavill should be moving into post soon. He will portray Ramírez, who was first portrayed by Sean Connery in the original series.

Unabomber is now streaming on Netflix.