Post by FilmFlaneur on Apr 13, 2018 9:53:07 GMT
Manhunt: Unabomber
Coming soon after a viewing of David Fincher's Netflix series Mindhunter , watching the Unabomber drama was like being on familiar ground : that of the reluctant, but ultimately triumphant development of a strand of criminal profiling by US law enforcement in the face of terrible crimes. Manhunt is the true story of the hunt for perhaps the most infamous criminal of his type in American history and, while not as dark as Fincher's work, is still well worth a watch. For those who don't know, the Unabomber was the name given (because he notably attacked university and airport targets) to a serial bomber who operated, despite the best efforts of the authorities, between 1978 and 1995. Playing the criminal is Paul Bettany, giving a subtle performance, pitched at just the right level of intellectual arrogance, alienation and pity. Pitched against him is Sam Worthington's FBI guy working against the prejudices of his own department as much as his own personal demons. Bettany's part in the series grows as the narrative proceeds until the Unabomber's tortured psyche becomes almost as significant as the horrific events themselves, in a programme that has been called (by one of the original investigating team) "80 per cent accurate". At the heart of it all is the growth and testing of what is called 'forensic linguistics', a nascent investigatory science which, at the end proved as conclusive as finger prints. It is rare that reading comprehension is made so tense, or so exciting. The result is a compelling series which can be recommended. Apparently there is an earlier drama based on the Unabomber case (Unabomber: The True Story (1996)) with Dean Stockwell. Has anyone seen this?
Coming soon after a viewing of David Fincher's Netflix series Mindhunter , watching the Unabomber drama was like being on familiar ground : that of the reluctant, but ultimately triumphant development of a strand of criminal profiling by US law enforcement in the face of terrible crimes. Manhunt is the true story of the hunt for perhaps the most infamous criminal of his type in American history and, while not as dark as Fincher's work, is still well worth a watch. For those who don't know, the Unabomber was the name given (because he notably attacked university and airport targets) to a serial bomber who operated, despite the best efforts of the authorities, between 1978 and 1995. Playing the criminal is Paul Bettany, giving a subtle performance, pitched at just the right level of intellectual arrogance, alienation and pity. Pitched against him is Sam Worthington's FBI guy working against the prejudices of his own department as much as his own personal demons. Bettany's part in the series grows as the narrative proceeds until the Unabomber's tortured psyche becomes almost as significant as the horrific events themselves, in a programme that has been called (by one of the original investigating team) "80 per cent accurate". At the heart of it all is the growth and testing of what is called 'forensic linguistics', a nascent investigatory science which, at the end proved as conclusive as finger prints. It is rare that reading comprehension is made so tense, or so exciting. The result is a compelling series which can be recommended. Apparently there is an earlier drama based on the Unabomber case (Unabomber: The True Story (1996)) with Dean Stockwell. Has anyone seen this?