Unabomber docudrama is riveting
If just the idea of a Unabomber docudrama repels, prepare to be amazed by the exceptional “Manhunt: Unabomber.”
The eight-part series, starting at 9 p.m. Tuesday on Discovery Channel, excels on several levels. It tautly follows FBI agents who, for 17 years, hunted the terrorist who killed three and injured 23 with bombs he made and sent through the mail. He was captured in 1996.
The series rivets as a character study of FBI agent Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald (Sam Worthington), a profiler who pioneered forensic linguistics that helped trip up the manifesto-writing Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski (Paul Bettany). “Manhunt” is more Fitz’s story and explores his quirky, determined style; his battle against stifling office politics at the FBI; and the personal costs of his dogged approach.
When Fitzgerald and Kaczynski
face off, “Manhunt” becomes a battle of wits that recalls “The Silence of the Lambs” and an acting duel as satisfying as the one between Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon in “Feud.”
“Manhunt,” created by writer Andrew Sodroski, jumps nimbly back and forth through time, before and after Kaczynski’s capture. Director Greg Yaitanes guides the production with forceful style and elicits uniformly superb acting.
The more familiar faces include Chris Noth as a fiery FBI supervisor, Wallace Langham as FBI Director Louis Freeh and Jane Lynch, given an expert makeup job, as Attorney General Janet Reno.
Jeremy Bobb exudes an officious nastiness as an FBI agent who clashes with Fitz. Making poignant impressions are Elizabeth Reaser as Fitz’s tested wife and Keisha Castle-Hughes as an FBI agent who admires him. Mark Duplass ranges from relief to despair as David Kaczynski, who turned in his brother.
“Manhunt” constantly surprises, notably in an episode that explores Ted Kaczynski’s past and brings depth to him. Bettany, also in firstrate makeup, plays strangeness chillingly.
But it’s Worthington’s show, because he brings such ruthless conviction to Fitz’s obsession. The profiler had to think outside the box — and around protocol-focused bosses — to make progress. “Manhunt: Unabomber” is marvelously constructed, deeply felt and one of the year’s best.