Tueur fantôme, l'histoire vraie de Unabomber

One time well known actors such as Dean Stockwell and Robert Hays seem to end up in cheesy "real life" TV movies such as this one. Despite the serious nature of the subject and what happened, this is just plain bad and mediocre from start to finish. Dull and missable.

Above average TV movie that effectively tells the true story of the UNABOMBER terrorist.Nothing fancy here,only direct to the point story telling and adequate acting.It's the story that carries the movie and most people who are familiar with TV movies will be satisfied as long as there is interest to learn about this interesting terrorist case......

If I'm being completely honest, I was drawn to this movie because it stars one of the most gifted, and frankly under-appreciated, actors of this, or any other generation: The Legendary Dean Stockwell. Once I finally watched Unabomber: The True Story, I was riveted by the performances of Tobin Bell (best known for playing Jigsaw in the Saw series) and, of course, Dean himself as the ever-determined Postal Inspector Ben Jefferies. I was also pleasantly surprised at the dramatic acting chops of usually comedic actor Robert Hays as Ted's brother, David Kaczynski. Ultimately, for me though, it was an utter joy to watch Stockwell's intensity. The intelligence he showcased as he pieced together vital clues to the identity of this infamous serial bomber. His determination, which could have easily been misrepresented by a lesser actor, as power-hungry ambition. There were even moments of child-like jubilation which were reminiscent of the cherubic Child Actor who first captured our hearts in Anchors Aweigh. The scene where Ben is sitting underneath a tree comes to mind. As an avid Dean Stockwell fan, I have to wonder if Ted's penchant for Eugene O'Neill stamps is what prompted the film's director to hire him in the first place. O'Neill, after all, was the playwright who penned Long Day's Journey Into Night! If you're as big a fan of Dean's as I am, I highly recommend this movie.

Robert Hays gives a wonderful dramatic performance in this film as a man who is forced to make the most heartbreaking decision imaginable, to turn in his own brother. I cannot even begin to imagine David Kaczynski's horror when he read the "Unabomber's" manifesto and realized it was his own brother that had written it. It amazes me that Ted Kaczynski, a filthy hermit living in a dilapidated shack in Montana, could elude the FBI for almost two decades while carrying out crimes that left three people dead and many more maimed. When this filthy hermit was arrested, one of the FBI agents said "My God, is that who's been eluding us all these years?" Its ironic that Robert Hays is best remembered for his role as the bumbling "Captain Ted Stryker" in the Airplane movies. He is a fine comic actor, in fact Airplane was voted as one of the funniest films ever made, but he can also do drama as well. It is perhaps because of his quiet,low key personality that this fine thespian has never been given the credit he truly deserves for his fine work in tv and films. He perfectly conveys David's anguish and the film is very gripping as it shows the frustration of the FBI as the bombings continue with no leads. One sad case is Captain John Hauser who lost an eye and all the fingers of his hand. Just a few days later, he recieved a note that he had been accepted into the NASA astronaut program. Ted Kaczynski was a brilliant but an evil man who had no conscience and no remorse. This is a man who told his mother that "I hope you die so I can spit on your corpse" what a nice fellow! What I don't understand is that he wasn't abused and his parents were warm and loving, what happened to turn this man into one of the most notorious criminals of all time? What makes me angry is that he could have been caught much sooner. The FBI called him the Unabomber because he sent bombs to universities and airlines (one of his bombs was in the cargo hold of a plane). The FBI made the mistaken assumption that he was an airline mechanic. John Douglas is a legendary FBI agent who pioneered "profiling". He said that the bomber was an academic not an airline mechanic. You would think that they should have looked into this possibility, they should have looked at the bombings at the Berkley campus and found out if any academics had left abruptly. If they had done this, they would have discovered the name Ted Kaczynski! He could have been stopped so much sooner. I felt so bad for his brother when he had to make this heartbreaking decision. Even when he did, he said "I hope my brother Ted will someday forgive me".

Sure, this is a straight-forward movie with little emotional debt or gripping scenes, but what do you expect from a based-on-a-true-story TV production ?

The originality of the basic story makes it worth a watch : the method of the UFA bomber, the references to his predecessors and the accuracy with which the mutilations of his victims are described on top of a still explosion as a replacement for graphic scenes.

When you start to think about it, the story is ever so frightening because the setting and the criminal are so common. Without much of a climax, another proof is given that a diabolic mind always comes with a human face.