Unabomber: In His Own Words

(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.

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.

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.

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.

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.