ted k unabomber movie review

“Ted K” trumpets its authentic bona fides early, informing us in an opening crawl that it was shot on the actual Montana land where Ted Kaczynski’s 10-by-12-foot cabin once stood, where he lived his spartan life and crafted the manifesto that would earn him the moniker The Unabomber. We also learn that director Tony Stone and his co-writers, Gaddy Davis and John Rosenthal , used Kaczynski’s own words from his 25,000 pages of writing to build their script.

The Unabomber viewed the encroachment of technology as a crucial force in destroying the natural world. He wrote about it, he raged about it. He’s currently serving a life sentence in federal prison for his deadly efforts to stop it. Lest we have any doubt about his philosophy, we hear him lay it out in an opening voiceover from star Sharlto Copley : “Modern technology is the worst thing that ever happened to the world, and to promote its progress is nothing short of criminal.” And of course, the Washington Post published his manifesto in June 1995 in hopes of preventing further terrorist violence.

And yet, while Copley is on screen for nearly the entirety of “Ted K,” which follows Kaczynski in the years leading up to his arrest, the man himself remains inherently unknowable—fearsome and fascinating but just out of reach. His performance is tightly coiled and increasingly twitchy as Ted struggles to maintain his composure and dares to execute more and more violent acts against those he views as his aggressors. “I have a plan for revenge,” he says in the nasally narration of his journals. “I want to kill some people, preferably a scientist, a communist, businessman or some other big shot.” What he thinks is clear; who he is, less so.

That’s probably by design. Despite the shocking acts on display in “Ted K,” we feel like we’re in a bit of a haze as we wander the woods with Kaczynski, watching him run shirtless and shoot at helicopters. Stone favors the subtlest of pushes into his subject matter, or uses slow-motion to contrast with the significance of a moment of truth, as when Kaczynski mails off one of his deadly, explosive packages with Alice in Chains’ “Rooster” blaring in the background. The noise of chopping, sawing, and shearing from the nearby logging industry creates a pesky rhythm. And the droning, synth score from British composer Benjamin John Power , known as Blanck Mass , adds greatly to the film’s overall hypnotic vibe. Just as the din surrounding Kaczynski swells to a panicky cacophony, so, too, do the music and sound design grow to heighten our feeling of anxiety.

But some of the tensest moments in the film are actually the most mundane, as when Kaczynski confronts a phone company clerk about losing coins in the pay phone. An airplane crosses the blue sky overhead, shattering the reverie of his peace and quiet, and you can feel the anger rising within him. And a seemingly innocuous trip to the local library reveals that he’s looking up the names and addresses of tech executives to target them.

Increasingly, though, Stone relies on fantasy sequences to signify Kaczynski’s break with reality and sanity, which feels unnecessary. We see a pretty and pleasant woman named Becky ( Amber Rose Mason ) who appears magically and just happens to be interested in all the things he likes to do, such as bike riding and fishing. We already know he’s lonely—he complains about how little experience he’s had with women in his agitated, one-sided phone calls with his mother and brother—but the arrival of this sunny, imaginary figure into Kaczynski’s moody cocoon becomes a distraction.

Still, Copley’s performance remains riveting throughout. It’s a testament to his delivery and physicality that we can hear Kaczynski speak expansively about what he’s going to do, and we can watch him experiment with various explosives, and we’re still on edge, wondering what might happen. His squirrelly nature makes him unpredictable, even as he sits quietly in his cozy cabin, listening to classical music on the Montana NPR station, planning who he’ll try to kill next.

Now playing in theaters and available on demand.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series “Ebert Presents At the Movies” opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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‘Ted K’ Review: An Eerie Descent

Tony Stone directs an expressionistic portrait of Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. the Unabomber.

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By Beatrice Loayza

Shot largely in the secluded mountains outside Lincoln, Mont., where the real Theodore J. Kaczynski lived before his arrest by the F.B.I. in 1996, “Ted K” is a blinkered portrait of the infamous domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber.

The director Tony Stone — whose 2016 documentary “Peter at the Farm” also put the spotlight on a mean (if far less sinister) recluse — dramatizes Kaczynski’s psychological state throughout the 17 years he spent building and sending bombs that killed three and injured dozens more. Sections from Kaczynski’s extensive writings are narrated in voice-over like drifting thoughts by Sharlto Copley (“District 9”), who takes on the titular role with vulnerability and palpable fury. As Kaczynski learns how to construct more sophisticated weapons, we observe his brief interactions with the outside world — his perpetual struggle with a finicky public phone booth, his irregular conversations with his concerned mother and the brother whose marriage he resents.

The film is a tad reductive, leaning too heavily on currently fashionable explanations for why lonely white men resort to violence. But Stone makes up for it with some magnificently eerie moments.

An original score by the electronic artist Blanck Mass, anachronistically interwoven with classical numbers by Vivaldi, certainly helps, creating a mood of grandiose delirium. Filled with menacing slow zooms and fade transitions, the film nevertheless feels inconsistent when it jerks back and forth from stylized depictions of Kaczynski’s crimes, building him up as a kind of anti-villain badass, to a tone of gentle, ultimately sympathetic mockery — as when Kaczynski begins courting an imaginary girlfriend.

The script’s emphasis on Kaczynski’s relentless bachelorhood and his feelings of castration is too neat an explanation. More convincing is the film’s expressionistic fixation on the technologies that torment Kaczynski — the ugly roar of dirt bikes, snowmobiles and tree-razing bulldozers. In one remarkable dream sequence, we see Kaczynski seemingly shooting through the space-time continuum, looking small and terrified and like the kind of man who would kill to feel a sense of control.

Ted K Rated R for nudity, language and stylized violence. Running time: 2 hours. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Amazon , Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.

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‘Ted K’ Review: Sharlto Copley Is the Unabomber in a Slow-Burning True-Crime Study

'Peter and the Farm' director Tony Stone takes an ambient, minimalistic approach to the life of notorious domestic terrorist Ted Kaczynski.

By Guy Lodge

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For a criminal who revealed his agenda in exhaustively detailed black-and-white — via his famous essay “Industrial Society and the Future,” published in The Washington Post months ahead of his 1996 capture — Ted Kaczynski remains a somewhat unreadable figure. The domestic terrorist better known as the Unabomber killed three people and injured two dozen more in a national bombing campaign aimed at protesting man’s environmental destruction and technological dependence. Yet his manifesto shed little light on who he actually was, or how a mild-mannered math professor from Chicago grew into an eccentric, isolated survivalist and, eventually, FBI most-wanted material. That makes him a subject both fascinating and oddly resistant to dramatization, though that hasn’t stopped writers and filmmakers from trying over the years.

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The latest such effort, Tony Stone ‘s growlingly moody “ Ted K ,” is a biopic that effectively honors its subject with its opaque severity. There’s little attempt here to “crack” Kaczynski or psychologize him, even though the script is drawn heavily from his own extensive writings. A vivid, committed performance by Sharlto Copley does make the man of a million headlines seem appreciably human, but not approachably so. This is a distant, impressionistic character study that seeks to immerse its audience in a generally nervous state of mind — both that of Kaczynski himself, as his ambitions and exploits escalate to a point of anonymous celebrity, and of a public at his selective mercy. Quite what we gain from the experience is uncertain, with most viewers likely to leave the film understanding little more of the Unabomber than they did two hours before. Still, “Ted K” is impressive and oppressive in equal measure.

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A slow introductory crawl fills in the Wikipedia-level facts about Kaczynski for the uninformed, while also playing up the authenticity of the film to follow. It was shot, we are told, on the very patch of Montana land where Kaczynski’s spartan 10- by 12-foot cabin once stood, and incorporates firsthand perspective from the 25,000 pages of journaling found inside it. Stone hardly needs to brag. “Ted K” projects stony, disquieting conviction from its aggressive first set piece, which introduces Kaczynski spying on a wealthy family, his contempt tangible as they rowdily mess around on high-end snowmobiles outside their mountain lodge. Once they’ve left the premises, he breaks in, hacking through the walls with an ax before laying waste to the offending vehicles. An eerie electro-orchestral score by British experimental musician Blanck Mass (aka Benjamin John Power) is cranked to ear-stinging levels as the carnage continues.

This passage of home-invasion horror may be of little consequence compared to the crimes Kaczynski later commits, but it arrestingly captures his grievances in miniature. “Ted K” isn’t wholly unsympathetic to its subject’s cause, even if this opening salvo offers a frightening taste of the crazed excess with which he takes action. But the filmmaking gives weight to his pained concern for the environment, and his positively feverish sensitivity to noise pollution. The sound design is discordant, distorted, even anxiety-inducing. DP Nathan Corbin offers multiple serene tableaux of the verdant Montana landscape being wrecked by industry, as ruthlessly as Kaczynski hacks up those snowmobiles. Stone’s film doesn’t need to warm or soften its subject’s persona to underline the essential tragedy of the man: that he had something of a point, and the worst possible way of making it.

Rather than tracing a dutiful biographical arc, Stone’s script (co-written with Gaddy Davis and John Rosenthal) is composed of scattered vignettes from the last decade or so of Kaczynski’s life as a free man. Some are speculatively intimate, capturing his solitary daily routine in the woods, with no electricity and only a radio as a link to the modern world. Others procedurally mark the planning and execution of his bombings, though they maintain the cool temperature and austere observational tack of the more everyday scenes. The filmmakers can afford this unemotive reserve, since Copley’s strange, highly-strung work anchors proceedings with all the jittery intensity they need. In the South African star’s most interesting and expansive showcase since his debut in “District 9,” callused body language contrasts with the reedy, unconfident vocal tics of a man who rarely speaks to anyone but himself.

The backstory of Kaczynski’s evolution into a woody recluse is only glancingly filled in, often via anguished, one-sided phone conversations with his brother David, who is kept as inaudible as any direct line into the past. A scattering of fantasy scenes with the devoted woman of Kaczynski’s dreams are a miscalculation that feel imported from a more conventional, explicatory draft of this project. Likewise, we hardly need the blunt musical cue of Bobby Vinton’s “Mister Lonely” to tell us what a sad, sexless life we’re observing. At its best, “Ted K” reveals itself in sound, mood and texture, akin to the most prickly minimalism of Gus van Sant or Antonio Campos. It sidesteps any popular Unabomber mythos and remains reluctant to forge any of its own. Ted Kaczynski isn’t just a regular guy, that much Stone’s film makes clear. But he’s just a guy all the same.

Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (online), London, March 2, 2021. Running time: 121 MIN.

Production: A Heathen Films presentation, in association with Verisimilitude, Hideout Pictures, In Your Face Entertainment. (World sales: Hanway Films, London.) Producers: Tony Stone, Matt Flanders, Sharlto Copley. Executive producers: Cameron Brodie, Tyler Brodie, Melissa Auf der Maur, Shannon Houchins, Potsy Ponciroli, Trevor O’Neil. Co-producers: Jake Perlin, Niles Roth, Colin Scott.
Crew: Director: Tony Stone. Screenplay: Gaddy Davis, John Rosenthal, Stone. Camera: Nathan Corbin. Editors: Stone, Brad Turner. Music: Blanck Mass.
With: Sharlto Copley, Drew Powell, Amber Rose Mason, Travis Bruyer, Tahmus Rounds, Christian Calloway.

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Ted k review: sharlto copley's unabomber is effective oscar throwback.

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Alongside writers Gaddy Davis ( Peter and the Farm ) and John Rosenthal ( Out of Our Minds ), director Tony Stone ( El Monte ) crafted a searing portrayal of environmentalism gone deadly wrong. The morals of the Unabomber are published and he is in prison to this day, but the magic of Ted K is Sharlto Copley's portrayal of Ted Kaczynski filling in all the gaps. It's not just about Kaczynski’s lifestyle, but the mindset that led him down such a destructive path. At two hours long, Ted K drags at points but is never held down for long. The filmmaking is very strong, but it's Copley’s performance that sells it.

Ted Kaczynski (Copley) has lived off of the land for years and takes great pride in his detachment from technology and affinity for nature. However, he is far from altruistic. In fact, he is a misogynist, unable to keep a steady job, and relies on his family for money. He has the audacity to berate them with the same moral high ground he inflicts on society while begging them for money. All that being said, Ted is totally committed to the environment and its maintenance. So when dirt bikers drive onto his property, he throws rocks at them. When jets fly over the forest he lives in, he shoots at them… not so typical environmentalism. Ted has had enough and eventually begins locating and targeting his enemies — big oil, news corporations, and Penthouse magazine just to start.

Related: Ted K Trailer Shows Sharlto Copley’s Chilling Take on the Unabomber

At first, he just wanted to know if he was capable of using his Harvard degree to fashion a bomb. When he discovers the answer is yes, it is a crooked ride to the bottom as Ted begins mailing bombs across America for the next decade. Ted Kaczynksi turned his back on society and the world, which is fitting because he was active from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. It's been a long enough time that the word Unabomber is at best a flashpoint in history for some, but Ted K encapsulates the fear that still lingers at the mention of his name. Copley's performance is top notch. He is feverish with nervous energy, never calm and, on the rare occasions when Ted is comfortable, Copley is bleeding out of his eyeballs.

Ted only contacts his family when he needs money and when he does it's with the air of someone who thinks they know everything. Copley holds nothing back, declaring that industrialism will be the death of them all. His delivery doesn’t carry an ounce of self pity — rather, there is mirth as he cackles to the tune of his own psychosis. Even in moments where is just listening to the radio, Copley is wide-eyed and present as a radical environmentalist preaches, “Human beings are just another species among millions of others.”

As Copley delivers a mountain of exposition in a phone booth, Stone is fully aware viewers need a glass of direction to swallow a pill that large. The camera begins to spiral as Ted does. In constant 360-degree motion, save for cutting to close-ups, the scene starts with Ted begging for money so the camera relaxes before circling him like a pack of wolves. By the end of the scene, he is blaming his mother for his virginity and the camera is running around him at the speed of a Formula 1 race car.

With Ted K , Stone has easily made his best film to date. The director evokes empathy — within reason — in scenes where he follows the beauty of nature in the same shot Ted is overcome with hopelessness at the world and unloads bullets into a helicopter ready to drop a bomb in the name of natural gas. What Copley seems to be so aware of is that Ted is trying so hard to be what he wants (that is normal to him) instead of even considering being himself. Both the performance, the man, and the motive can be summarized when authorities approach Ted and he says, “I wouldn’t call it anything out of the ordinary though. I imagine if you were in my position you might act the same way."

Next: Texas Chainsaw Massacre Review: Bland Requel Butchers The Legacy Of Original

Ted K is in theaters and on demand February 18, 2022. The film is 120 minutes long and rated R for language, some sexual content, and brief nudity.

Ted K is a biographical crime drama directed by Tony Stone. The film chronicles the life of Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, portrayed by Sharlto Copley. It delves into Kaczynski's transition from an isolated hermit living in a remote cabin to a domestic terrorist orchestrating bomb attacks. The narrative explores his complex psyche and motivations, capturing the tension between his solitary existence and his ideological crusade against modern technology.

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An exploration of Ted Kaczynski's life in Lincoln, Montana in the years leading up to his arrest as The Unabomber. An exploration of Ted Kaczynski's life in Lincoln, Montana in the years leading up to his arrest as The Unabomber. An exploration of Ted Kaczynski's life in Lincoln, Montana in the years leading up to his arrest as The Unabomber.

Gaddy Davis
John Rosenthal
Sharlto Copley
Drew Powell
Christian Calloway
49 User reviews
43 Critic reviews
70 Metascore
3 nominations

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Tom's Wife
Yard Sale Owner
Woman at Yard Sale

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Motel Clerk
Computer Salesman
Computer Store Owner

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Gas Station Owner

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Trivia The movie playing on the television in Ted's motel room at around 51:00 (as a voice over) is Repo Man (1984), specifically it's the scene wherein Emilio Estevez's character has first entered into the auto shop to collect his first fee as an unwitting repo man.
Goofs There is a moment in the 3rd act in which a voice-over suggests that the Unabomber might be envious of the media attention given to the Oklahoma City bombing, which happened in 1995. Later, the infamous O.J. Simpson Bronco chase is seen on a TV. The Bronco chase happened in 1994, but is presented as having happened after the OC bombing.

Ted : Modern technology is the worst thing to happen to the world. And to promote its progress is nothing short of criminal.

Soundtracks Let the Bright Seraphim from Samson, HWV 57 Written by George Frideric Handel (as George Friederich Händel) Performed by Kathleen Battle & Wynton Marsalis Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment

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February 18, 2022 (Canada)
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Montana, USA
Heathen Films
In Your Face Entertainment
Hideout Pictures
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Feb 20, 2022

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Runtime 2 hours

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‘Ted K’ Review: Sharlto Copley Turns Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Into ‘Joker’ with Eerie Biopic

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Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival. SuperLTD releases the film in theaters and on VOD on Friday, February 18.

Many movies endeavor to get inside the mind of a maniac, but “ Ted K ” goes straight to the source. Director Tony Stone’s chilling, immersive, and sometimes aimless portrait of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski draws on some 25,000 words of rambling diary entries from the lonely cabin-dweller, who raged against society from his secluded Montana cabin until his 1996 arrest. With a harrowing, disheveled Sharlto Copley at its center, the haunting, ambling narrative spends its entire unnerving runtime trapped inside Kaczynski’s head, where his disdain for technological progress and environmental destruction builds from small-scale sabotage to some of the worst acts of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski’s homemade bombs resulted in an assortment of horrible injuries and three deaths, with his targets ranging from an airline executive to a lobbyist. There’s no excuse for this behavior, and though the movie doesn’t try to make one, it gets close to his mindset. Like “Joker” without the exuberant blockbuster sheen, “Ted K” dares to come within striking distance of empathy for its maniacal subject, rooting his festering resentment in profound loneliness and alienation. It’s a rather unsophisticated view of a subject documented at great length over the last 25 years, but Copley — who also serves as producer — brings such a credible blend of white male fragility and violent frustration to the performance that he often transcends the restraints of the material, which doesn’t always cohere, but retains an eerie topicality after all these years.

Stone, who directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gaddy Davis and John Rosenthal, has clearly drawn on his experience with the documentary “Peter and the Farm” (in which an aging, socially maladroit Vermont farmer plots his suicide) to construct an absorbing visual tone poem more committed to the nuances of Kaczynski’s slow-burn insanity than any broader narrative framework. An opening crawl explains the gist of Kaczynski’s tragic story: a math genius who went to Harvard at 16, he eventually resorted to a proto-anarchistic view of society and retreated to rural Montana to live off the land. Rather than tracing Kaczynski’s tragic descent into madness, the movie lingers in its final, deadly form, not searching for answers so much as bearing witness to the terrible fact of its existence.

Which begs the question: What’s the point? That question hangs at the center of “Ted K” as an intriguing provocation, and begs daring viewers to look deep into Copley’s face for answers. The movie was shot on the same vacant, snowy landscape where Kaczynski lived, as a bearded Copley roams the wilderness, growing increasingly furious with the impact of deforestation and air pollution as jet planes and nearby industrial explosions ruin his tranquil surroundings. Adopting Kaczynski’s thick, nasally Philadelphia accent, Copley muses on the circumstances in constant voiceover as he wanders from furious typewriter sessions to casing the scenes of his crimes. “I act merely for my desire for revenge,” he proclaims, while raging against the “reckless ride into the unknown” that modern technology represents.

As much as Kaczynski’s ire speaks to a precise form of modern-day capitalist anger, he’s not the most sophisticated psychopath. No measure of literary asides can deepen the sense that his lunacy stems from a routine dissatisfaction with a society indifferent to his concerns. Given its minimalist approach, “Ted K” is often hamstrung by the limitations of its material. To compensate, the screenwriters shoehorn in a contrived imaginary romantic companion (Amber Rose Mason) — again, the “Joker” comparisons are unmistakable — along with extensive sequences that find Kaczynski engaged in prolonged, snarling one-sided phone calls with his estranged brother (who eventually tipped off the FBI). These scenes are about as instructive as Kaczynski’s Wikipedia page.

The movie works on steadier ground as a pure mood piece, with cinematographer Nathan Corbin’s stunning outdoor scenery and a thundering electronic score by Benjamin John Power (aka Blanck Mass) contributing to a grand, solitary epic, the kind of high-stakes drama Kaczynski undoubtedly imagined himself in. Though some of its bigger music cues feel a touch on-the-nose (in particular, “Mr. Lonely,” with the lyrics to Alice In Chains’ “Rooster” practically explaining Kaczynski’s internal monologue), it’s easy to imagine that the man would have seen himself in somewhat heavy-handed terms as he taunted the FBI and mainstream media through anonymous letters explaining his deeds.

Stone follows Kaczynski through a series of bombings, using the restraints of a visibly low-budget production in its favor by staying close to its subject’s face and interspersing the occasional news reports. Mostly, though, his rickety wooden cabin provides a centerpiece for the drama as Kaczynski begins to view himself as both prophet of doom and, well, a doomed prophet. An entrancing nightmare scene finds the gravity of his small home inverting around him as he escapes out the window, the entire logic of his plans threatening to collapse on top of him.

And of course, it does that, though Kaczynski’s eventual arrest and imprisonment arrives as an afterthought. As with “Joker,” the movie commits to staying within the mania of its anti-hero until the very end, even mustering a willingness to dig into the darkness and find some measure of somber beauty in the visions of peace he occasionally finds in the forest. Tonally, “Ted K” bears a strong resemblance to the elegant Americana in Tim Sutton’s work (“Dark Night,” “Memphis”), which pairs documentary naturalism with the poetry of lost souls in its midst.

Here, that’s the essence of Kaczynski, a character struggling to find his place in a vast universe indifferent to his problems. It’s a fascinating gamble for Copley, an actor who often seems eager to push beyond the boundaries of more conventional mainstream projects with visceral intensity. He finds a different sort out of outlet in “Ted K,” though there’s just enough complexity to his screen presence to suggest he could’ve gone even further with a bigger canvas. As it stands, “Ted K” amounts to a fragmented set of moments, many of them quite disturbing, and some them quite sad. But the half-baked quality of the big picture leads to the conclusion that it may be impossible to ever fully comprehend the motivating factors that led to Kaczynski’s fate — and perhaps that’s how it belongs.

“Ted K” premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival.

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‘ted k’: film review | berlin 2021.

Sharlto Copley plays the Rocky Mountains wilderness recluse who became known to the world as the Unabomber in Tony Stone's unsettlingly intimate true crime thriller, 'Ted K.'

By David Rooney

David Rooney

Chief Film Critic

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The underseen but arresting 2016 documentary feature Peter and the Farm is a warts-and-all portrait of a flinty Vermont loner and his volatile relationship to the land that has consumed him for more than three decades. Its director, Tony Stone, now blurs the line between nonfiction and narrative filmmaking to depict another solitary man inseparable from his natural environment in Ted K , a piercing psychological probe into the domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber. Played by Sharlto Copley in a febrile performance so wired it’s almost uncomfortable to watch, Ted Kaczynski is revealed here in his own words, lifted from 25,000 pages of writing that predates his arrest in 1996.

A Star Wars -length opening info crawl fills in the background on the subject, a brilliant student who skipped grades to attend Harvard at 16, earning a PhD in mathematics and abandoning a professorship after a year to turn his back on society. With his brother David, he built a 10 x 12-foot cabin on a small parcel of land in the Rocky Mountains near Lincoln, Montana, and lived there alone without running water or electricity for 25 years.

The Bottom Line Mesmerizing.

Stone made his film on the same land where the cabin once stood, and the icy intensity of his approach is evident from the opening titles sequence. Over footage of a family of five on snowmobiles, zipping among the trees of a forest drenched in winter sun, the thunderous operatic electronica of Scottish producer Benjamin John Power, who records as Blanck Mass, plants a sinister seed of dread. The music’s portentous drone tones echo everything from vintage John Carpenter to Dario Argento prog-rock favorites, Goblin — far from subtle but chillingly effective.

By the time the distant figure of Copley’s Ted is glimpsed stepping out from behind a tree, the brooding note of sustained horror that defines the film has been struck. It’s then reinforced in the scene that follows, as Ted smashes through a wall of the luxury lodge where the family is staying and proceeds to lay waste to the interior with an ax while the wall-mounted head of a stag looks on stoically from above. Ted then heads out to the garage to wreck the offending snowmobiles. The whole wordless opening act is certainly an attention-getter.

“Modern technology is the worst thing to ever happen to the world, and to promote its progress is nothing short of criminal,” says Copley in voiceover used with sparing precision throughout. As Ted hunts or fishes for his food and harvests vegetables from his garden plot, he alternates between finding peace among nature and bristling with rage at the intrusion of low-flying jets, industry and motorcycle thrill-riders. He records these daily violations, as well as his acts of sabotage, in notebooks penned in painstaking numerical code and translated in subtitles.

“Here the noise destroys something wonderful, whereas in the city, there is nothing to destroy because one is living in a shit pile anyway,” he says. If you were around before the internet age, chances are you will have wondered one time or another if so much technology and limitless information in the hands of so many is a good thing. Portrayed here from inside his head, Kaczynski is a walking illustration of that concern inflated into dangerous paranoia, exploring the fine line between genius and madness.

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‘Ted K’ Film Review: Impressionistic Unabomber Drama Reveals the Man Beneath the Monster

Director Tony Stone and actor Sharlto Copley take us on a breathless high-wire act, suspended over one man’s madness

A risky experiment with a striking payoff, “Ted K” is an impressionistic attempt to personalize the most unrelatable experience imaginable: life as a killer.

Prolific serial killers are often introduced with media-minded nicknames, making it easier for us simultaneously to separate from them and to connect with them. We look upon them as Other, but remain interested, reading and worrying and wondering until — and well after — they’re caught.

The Unabomber is among the most notable examples, with 26 victims spanning nearly two decades. His incomprehensible violence spurred the largest manhunt in FBI history, and as it went on, we all kept reading, and worrying, and wondering.

Director Tony Stone (“Peter and the Farm”) and his co-writers, John Rosenthal and Gaddy Davis, strip away most of the rest in an attempt to address the incomprehensibility. Certainly, the film’s generically ordinary title is no coincidence. Stone wants us to see Ted — whose full name is Theodore John Kaczynski — as a person, rather than a notorious monster. This is a hazardous choice, of course, not least because it risks privileging a terrorist over the people he terrorized. But Stone is not merely aware that he’s walking a fine line; he turns it into a tightrope, going all in and pulling off a haunting spectacle as a result.

He is matched in his bravado by lead Sharlto Copley (“District 9”), who burrows with intensity, and occasional over-amplification, into Ted’s agitated brain. Though it’s not a pretty place to be, it is certainly a more complex one than any nickname could allow.

Stone isn’t remotely interested in a traditional biopic, almost impatiently dispensing with most of the facts in an opening crawl: Ted went to Harvard at 16, became a mathematics professor at UC Berkeley, dropped out of civilization soon after, and disappeared into the far recesses of the Rocky Mountains.

Instead of retelling us what we can easily find on Wikipedia, Stone relies on the 25,000 pages of frenzied writing found in Kaczynski’s tiny cabin, using those notebooks to inspire everything from plot to dialogue to inner monologue. Most of the film features the latter, since Ted is not a guy who appreciates other people in general.

There are a few significant exchanges with neighbors, fellow volunteers at his local library and his brother David. There’s also an idealized and rather awkwardly portrayed relationship with a female figment of his increasingly manic imagination (Amber Rose Mason). But his primary interactions are shouting matches sparked by the arrogant trespassers who carelessly roar through his pristine Montana land on ATVs or snowmobiles.

That land, like the movie in general, is absolutely gorgeous, as director of photography Nathan Corbin approaches his job with unexpected but powerful artistry. Stone and Brad Turner (“Patti Cake$”) co-edit the film to similarly startling, sharply purposeful, effect: After gasping at the stunning wildlife roaming freely around the breathtaking vista where Ted has chosen to live in monastic awe, can we blame him for hating all who would destroy it? For being pushed to alienated fury over their ceaseless selfishness and willful destruction of our mutual planet?

Well, yeah. We can, and we have to, because Ted destroys, too: First he cuts snowmobile wires and then he builds bombs. And then those bombs maim people, and then they kill people. Sometimes they hurt the intended recipients, like executives in timber or oil industries. Sometimes they hurt others, like the secretaries and assistants who happen to open the mail. And even as Stone brings us right to the edge of Ted’s mind — as he documents the brilliant passion curdling into narcissistic madness — he knows that we can’t fall into the ravine with him.

The Psychopathic Psyche Probe has become an increasingly popular genre, for better (“My Friend Dahmer”) and worse (“Chapter 27”). Stone is so committed, so aware of every trap and every opportunity, that his is among the most memorable entries. He seems attuned to the nuances of every detail, from the carefully-researched recreation of Ted’s cabin in the very spot it once stood, to the fevered mental fantasies that unfold against lacelike classical symphonies and Blanck Mass’s unsettling electronica.

In the end Stone achieves his goal: locating Ted inside the Unabomber. He reserves his own judgement, while managing to skirt the suggestion that we do the same. The actions remain as clearly monstrous as they always were. But the monster himself, still trapped in the same zealous mind, is a man once more.

“Ted K” opens in U.S. theaters and on demand Feb. 18.

Ted K visits the Unabomber’s neck of the woods

Sharlto Copley embodies Ted Kaczynski in Tony Stone’s tragicomic dramatisation of the deluded ramblings of a domestic terrorist.

Reviewed at the 2021 Berlinale.

Before the word ‘incel’ was coined and the danger of domestic terrorism fully realised, Ted Kaczynski was sitting in his cabin in the woods writing reams of eco-fascist musings and building bombs. The maths genius turned murderer better known as the Unabomber is the subject of Tony Stone’s new film, an intimate portrait of a man whose frustrations turn to murderous violence.

We first spy Ted in the distance through the trees, while in the foreground snowmobiles tear through the landscape. The noise of the snowmobiles and the heavy doom-filled drone of the Blanck Mass score portends something bad brewing. Sure enough, Ted breaks into the home of the offending snowmobilers and vandalises the vehicles.

It is the late 1970s and Ted (played with wild-eyed commitment by Sharlto Copley) has retreated to the woods in the mountains of Montana. Even here his Waldenesque rural retreat is constantly intruded on by a noisy modernity. Snowmobiles in the winter, cross-country motorcyclists in the summer and logging operations all year round contribute to a cacophony which, thanks to Tim Obzud’s sound design, seems to drill into Ted’s head, rendering impossible his escape from modern industrial society.

The way Ted is beset almost becomes comic. Ted’s cabin has to be the noisiest hermitage ever, but the suggestion – similar to that of Sean Penn’s Into the Wild (2007) – is that there is no way of escaping. Only a vanishingly small wilderness remains.

Ted is soon testing his homemade explosives and heading across the country on “missions”, all the while explaining his grievances in a voiceover gleaned by scriptwriters Stone, Gaddy Davis and John Rosenthal from the thousands of pages Kaczynski wrote.

Initially, Ted cuts a pathetic figure, riding a chopper bicycle to town and wearing chunky sunglasses. But his misanthropy and more particular misogyny come easily to the surface. “I don’t take instruction on technical matters from women,” he tells one at the logging camp where he briefly works, earning a prompt firing from the woman who happens to run the place. Although targeting ideological enemies, Ted admits the bombs are more about spite than societal change.

Despite Ted’s relatively flat character arc, Copley does a superb job of realising the tragicomic figure of a man convinced of his own delusions. That hoary old cliche about the banality of evil has never been so apt as Ted goes from gleefully plotting to murder people to having a drawn-out argument with the phone company – the offices of which he visits in person – about how the payphone eats through his quarters. When asked how much money he has lost, the sum is predictably pitiful.

In fact, Copley’s performance is so strong, it renders Stone’s occasional attempts to depict Ted’s madness with a cinematic flourish – a nightmare sequence of the cabin turning upside down – as redundant. This is especially true of a Joker-like imaginary girlfriend: a never-convincing trope which surely needs to be retired. Ultimately, Ted K works in the vein of John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1989) – a film which, along with The Shining , it visually quotes – and, with the rise of far-right terrorism in the US , is regrettably all too relevant today.

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Ted k review: tony stone’s fly-on-the-wall look at unabomber ted kaczynski.

Tony Stone’s avoidance of emotional manipulation in dramatizing Ted Kaczynski’s terror campaign is admirable, but only up to a point.

Noise. That’s what gives the first impression in Tony Stone’s Ted K . Featuring a score by industrial musician Blanck Mass, the film blends groaning synth tones with the overwhelming sounds of jets flying overhead and logging equipment sawing down trees in the remote Montana location where Stone’s follow-up to Peter and the Farm is set.

The film’s heightened soundscape is representative of the roiling obsessions of Ted Kaczynski (Sharlto Copley), the math professor turned Luddite bomber who moved to this region in 1971 in order to seek refuge from modern society. Similarly, Nathan Corbin and Ethan Palmer’s camera, defined by unnaturally precise push-ins and circular tracking motions, suggests an extension of the sleek engine of modern technology that so repulsed the man. In the world of Ted K , the presence of an electronics store is as unnerving as a haunted Gothic castle.

For as long as climate change continues to wreak global havoc, Kaczynski will continue to draw admirers, but Ted K doesn’t seek to invite our sympathy for the man. Well before we see Ted engage in his bombing campaign, the film establishes him as a bloviating misogynist who openly disrespects women. As such, there’s more than a bit of irony to the moment where he calls his mother and demands that she send him money since he cannot hold down a job.

Ted’s interactions with others are at best uncomfortable and at worst needlessly hostile. Copley gives the most underplayed performance of his career as Kaczynski, who speaks in clipped, precise bursts around others so as make every conversation as short as possible, before then settling into a stasis when by himself. The man’s bombing campaigns are no less thoughtfully depicted, as Stone is largely unconcerned with the events leading up to Kaczynski mailing his letter bombs, and the filmmaker cuts around the moments of their detonation.

Stone’s avoidance of emotional manipulation in dramatizing Kaczynski’s terror campaign is admirable, and comparable to how Jean-Luc Godard stripped his war film Les Carabiniers of the usual tropes that make even ostensibly anti-war movies so exciting. But where Godard also deconstructed the entire visual language of his chosen genre, Stone uncritically indulges the visual trademarks of psychological drama, especially in Ted K ’s second half.

In the absence of diving into the depths of Kaczynski’s environmental views and thus running the risk of allowing viewers to align themselves with them, Ted K eventually settles into a generic portrait of a madman. Woozy, distorted close-ups of Ted’s face abound as he spirals further out of control, and Copley abandons the restraint that he showed earlier in the film as he leans into the signifiers of mental illness across scenes in which Ted is seen screaming, stammering, and giddily laughing. Refusing to take Kaczynski’s manifesto and philosophy seriously is one thing, but it’s another to turn him into a run-of-the-mill freak.

At the margins of this empty spectacle, though, are subtler illustrations of Kaczyinski’s mindset. Ted listens to Vivaldi and other classical composers on his portable radio throughout the film, establishing a link between his conservative cultural tastes and his reactionary ecoterrorism. It’s a holistic and anti-romanticizing glimpse into the man’s worldview that proves to be far more meaningful than the grotesque images of Copley drifting around his property with a deranged grin on his face as reports of his actions play on the news.

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Ted K is an intimate portrayal of a dangerous recluse who would eventually become the FBI’s longest terrorist investigation. Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the infamous Unabomber, maimed and killed through sophisticated mail bombs over a twenty-five-year period. Sharlto Copley plays Kaczynski from 1971 to his capture in the late nineties. The film was partially shot on Kaczynski’s Montana land and uses dialogue taken from his prolific writings. It paints an ugly picture of an educated, but angry and misogynistic loner who relished murder.

Ted K begins in remote Lincoln, Montana. Theodore Kaczynski (Copley) rages at the snowmobiles that spoil his pristine wilderness with their grating noise. He vehemently despises modern technology. Vandalizing nearby cabins of wealthy neighbors and the equipment of logging companies. He bitterly narrates his grievances against the world. Typing coded journals in his tiny shack, he curses humanity over radio news feeds. Kaczynski calls his brother and mother from telephone booths. Begging for money while criticizing their lives as pawns in a rotten system.

We watch as Kaczynski hones his explosive craft . He takes odd jobs to buy seemingly innocuous electronic equipment for his bombs. He also steals when the opportunity arises. Kaczynski, a Harvard mathematician, goes to great lengths to conceal his identity and thwart authorities. He revels in the attention his bombing spree has achieved. Ted K wants his poisonous ideology spread far and wide. He taunts the FBI but has a different request for the major news outlets following his trail of violence.

South African actor Sharlto Copley teeters on a razor’s edge of fury. Kaczynski is consumed by perceived slights and wrongs. His only respite is nature’s solitude. But that’s constantly interrupted by the machinery of men. The film also takes a deliberate look at his sexual repression. Kaczynski hated women and treated them with little respect. A telling scene has him railing against his lack of sexual contact. He channeled his negative energy into perfecting more lethal devices.

Cinematographer turned director Tony Stone (Peter and the Farm) uses aggressive tactics to show Kaczynski’s unstable behavior. Ted K is not Henry David Thoreau calmly exploring and documenting nature. Kaczynski’s primitive survivalist lifestyle has an accompaniment of disturbing sounds. There’s a cacophony of discordant classical music , opera, and machines buzzing. The screen turns blood-red as Kaczynski plots the details for his next targets. Stone also visualizes Kaczynski’s bizarre nightmares as described in his diaries.

Ted K’s reliance on voice-over narration treads monotonous as the film progresses. The script uses Kaczynki’s own words to frame his state of mind. His homicidal intent and calculating personality are clearly established in the first act. Another method was needed to express his thoughts; rather than always explaining to the audience. The voice-over dialogue feels less severe the more brazen he gets. Ted K works best when we see him coldly interacting with the environment and himself. Kacynzski was a psychopath who feigned normalcy to scout his targets.

Sharlto Copley is front and center in almost every frame. He nails the disturbing traits of a remorseless individual. I was concerned that Ted K would give a merciless killer some modicum of empathy. It gives no credence to the Unabomber. Ted K is a production of Heathen Films. It will have a concurrent VOD and limited theatrical release on February 18th from Neon.

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‘Ted K’ Film Review: Impressionistic Unabomber Drama Reveals the Man Beneath the Monster

A risky experiment with a striking payoff, “Ted K” is an impressionistic attempt to personalize the most unrelatable experience imaginable: life as a killer.

Director Tony Stone (“Peter and the Farm”) and his cowriters, John Rosenthal and Gaddy Davis, strip most of the rest away in an attempt to address the incomprehensibility. Certainly, the film’s generically ordinary title is no coincidence. Stone wants us to see Ted — whose full name is Theodore John Kaczynski — as a person, rather than an iconic monster. This is a hazardous choice, of course, not least because it risks privileging a terrorist over the people he terrorized. But Stone is not merely aware that he’s walking a fine line; he turns it into a tightrope, going all in and pulling off a haunting spectacle as a result.

There are a few significant exchanges with neighbors, fellow volunteers at his local library, and his brother David. There’s also an idealized, and rather awkwardly portrayed, relationship with a female figment of his increasingly manic imagination (Amber Rose Mason). But his primary interactions are shouting matches sparked by the arrogant trespassers who carelessly roar through his pristine Montana land on ATVs or snowmobiles.

Well, yeah. We can, and we have to, because Ted destroys, too: first he cuts snowmobile wires, and then he builds bombs. And then those bombs maim people, and then they kill people. Sometimes they hurt the intended recipients, like executives in timber or oil industries. Sometimes they hurt others, like the secretaries and assistants who happen to open the mail. And even as Stone brings us right to the edge of Ted’s mind — as he documents the brilliant passion curdling into narcissistic madness — he knows that we can’t fall into the ravine with him.

“Ted K” opens in US theaters and on demand Feb. 18.

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Common Sense Media Review

Compelling deep dive into the mind of the Unabomber.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Uses of "f--k," "s--t," "c---sucker," "c--k," "a--hole," "t-ts," "goddamn," "idi

Guns and shooting. Skinning a rabbit. Bomb-making. Explosions. Character hits se

Naked male bottom and chest. Topless woman shown briefly. Implied masturbation (

Background drinking and smoking by secondary characters.

Any Positive Content?

Asks viewers to look at Ted's life without judgment and realize that behind his

Ted is virtually the only real character in the movie, and he's definitely not a

The movie's entire focus is Ted, a White male (all other characters are in the b

Uses of "f--k," "s--t," "c---sucker," "c--k," "a--hole," "t-ts," "goddamn," "idiot," "nuts," "orgasm." Middle-finger gesture.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Guns and shooting. Skinning a rabbit. Bomb-making. Explosions. Character hits self with cinder block. Vandalism. Tearing hole in wall with axe. Smashing things. Setting snowmobiles on fire. Setting tractor on fire. Chopping down telephone pole. Car slowly crashes into tree. Person roughly grabbed.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Naked male bottom and chest. Topless woman shown briefly. Implied masturbation (under a blanket). Brief images of women while flipping through Penthouse magazine. Sex-related dialogue ("first base," "touching of breasts," etc.).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Asks viewers to look at Ted's life without judgment and realize that behind his poor decisions were genuine pain and human emotions.

Positive Role Models

Ted is virtually the only real character in the movie, and he's definitely not a role model.

Diverse Representations

The movie's entire focus is Ted, a White male (all other characters are in the background). From his point of view, women are subordinate and not equal to men. ("I don't take direction from women," he says, asking for the woman's husband instead.)

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Parents need to know that Ted K is a biopic about Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. the Unabomber (played here by Sharlto Copley ). It gets inside Kaczynski's chaotic head while still maintaining some semblance of order; it works mainly due to Copley's performance. Violence includes guns and shooting, bomb-making, explosions, vandalism, setting things on fire, smashing things, skinning a rabbit, etc. A man's bare bottom is seen, there's a brief glimpse of a topless woman and a quick view of images in a Penthouse magazine, and it's implied that a man is masturbating under a blanket. There's also sex-related dialogue, plus swearing ("f--k," "s--t," "c---sucker," "a--hole," and more). Background characters are occasionally seen drinking and smoking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In TED K, Ted Kaczynski ( Sharlto Copley ) is living in a small 10-foot x 12-foot cabin in the woods of Montana. Agitated by the noise of passing planes and snowmobiles, he becomes more and more convinced that machines are taking over the world. He commits small acts of violence, such as breaking into a home and destroying a family's snowmobiles. This escalates into making bombs. And as time goes on, he becomes more obsessed with making big changes. He writes a 35,000-word manifesto and hatches a plan to get it published in the big daily papers. But by that time, the FBI has launched the world's largest manhunt to find him.

Is It Any Good?

This deep dive into the mind of a notorious terrorist is handled well, forgoing all the tired, traditional biopic notes and staying focused on the subject and capturing his emotions. Directed by Tony Stone, Ted K doesn't glorify Kaczynski, but nor does it tame him. It also doesn't try to be heavy or brutal, like a horror film. As it moves along, we begin to understand Kaczynski's choices, even if we disagree with them. For example, it makes sense that he would be irritated by all the buzzing snowmobiles (and mopeds in the summer), and it makes sense that he might be angry about it. The movie pieces together a kind of psychological profile of him as it proceeds.

Stone attempts a slightly soft, dreamy feel in the movie's fabric, as if Kaczynski weren't quite living in a hard, cold reality. Ted even imagines a girlfriend for himself, Becky (Amber Rose Mason), who only tells him how wonderful he is. (He has no idea how to communicate with real women.) Copley is a large reason the movie works. The actor has always had a quality of cheerful insanity (he was perfect for "Howling Mad" Murdock in The A-Team ), and he plays Kaczynski not only with ease, but with a certain kind of muted glee. Ted K introduces us not to an evil man, but to a real person who was deeply troubled, went too far, and deservedly paid a price for his crimes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Ted K 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

Is it possible to see Kaczynski as a flawed human in this movie, rather than a monster? How does the movie tell his story without judgment?

Why are we so fascinated with real-life killers?

Do you agree with any of Kaczynski's opinions about machines/computers ? What would be some healthier, less destructive ways of addressing this?

Movie Details

In theaters : February 18, 2022
On DVD or streaming : May 24, 2022
Cast : Sharlto Copley , Drew Powell , Amber Rose Mason
Director : Tony Stone
Studio : Neon
Genre : Drama
Run time : 123 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : language, some sexual content and brief nudity
Last updated : October 8, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Movies | feds file new indictment in trump jan. 6 case, keeping charges intact but narrowing allegations, things to do, movies | ‘ted k’ takes a deep dive into world of notorious unabomber.

Ted Kaczynski (Sharlto Copley) compares himself to a drawing of the Unabomber on a magazine cover in 'Ted K.'

MOVIE REVIEW

Rated R. On VOD.

Sharlto Copley delivers an award-worthy performance in “Ted K,” a film biography of the notorious Ted Kaczynski aka the Unabomber. The film charts the period between 1971 to 1995 when Kaczynski, a Harvard graduate with a PhD in mathematics, abandons any semblance of normal life to dwell in a 10-by-12-foot cabin in the woods outside Lincoln, Mont.

From there, he rails against modern technology, coal mining, logging and “snowmobile fiends,” who steal his peace and quiet. He also takes pot shots at passing airplanes, hunts, fishes, harvests small crops and works odd jobs in the town. From a phone booth near town, Kaczynski calls his mother and his brother David to beg for money at regular intervals.

With a huge help from the mad sound designs of composer Blanck Mass and the great, go-for-broke South African actor Copley (“Oldboy,” “Chappie”), “Ted K” deep dives into the deeply troubled mind of the first “beardo,” the first violent eco-warrior and one of the first domestic terrorists. It’s obvious that the childless Ted K. has multiplied in other ways. In his trademark hoodie, aviator sunglasses and big bushy beard, Ted might be the father of all the crackpot conspiracy theorists of our troubled times.

When he isn’t chopping his way into someone else’s mountain chalet with an ax, he’s cleaning a dead rabbit to the tune of baroque music on his battery-powered radio. He hitches a ride from neighbors who know him by name, and also gets around on a single speed bicycle with comical, high-rise handlebars. He lurks at the local library, mops the floor of a local bar, where he listens in horror to the news about the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. To the screech of diabolical strings, he hates machinery and pollution and the destruction of the land that goes on non-stop.

In many ways, Ted’s arguments and obsessions are actually valid. You think that if he had married and had children, Ted might have gone down a different path. But he has done none of these things. He is a loner able to obsess on his own with no one to reason with him. He appears to resent women in the manner of so-called “incels” of our day, although he daydreams about an attractive young lass named Becky (Amber Rose Mason).

You can see his manias growing out of bounds, while “Mr. Lonely” and Alice in Chains’ “Rooster” play in his head. Ted writes letters to the New York Times, the Washington Post and Penthouse. He begins to practice making bombs, exploding one in an abandoned mine shaft. He books a motel room under the name Joseph Conrad.

Will you go down the rabbit hole with Ted? Copley, who carries the film entirely on his shoulders as the mad killer version of Henry David Thoreau, practically invites you to do so. Copley makes Ted’s insanity completely relatable. When Ted plays at being a cave man in bearskin shorts, carrying only a hatchet in the woods, you almost like him.

Director and co-writer Tony Stone of the documentary-like 2007 feature “Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America,” now has made another unique achievement with “Ted K.”

A nightmare that Ted has recalls — believe it or not — Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” (1925). Whistling Beethoven’s Fifth, Ted mails his first bomb. He will kill and maim many people before being caught in 1996. The real Kaczynski is currently holed up in Colorado’s Supermax Penitentiary, age 79.

(“Ted K” contains violence, profanity and nudity.)

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Home » Horror News » Ted K Review

Ted K Review

Plot: From the brilliant mind of acclaimed director Tony Stone comes TED K- a bracing, cinematic journey into the tortured mind of The Unabomber. Deep in the American Rocky Mountains lived a man who sought refuge from modern society. His dark writings forewarned of a society ruled by technology. As the outside world encroached on his mountain sanctuary, he slowly became radicalized with rage. What began with small acts of sabotage, culminated with deadly bomb attacks, national media attention, and the largest manhunt in American history.

Review: Anyone who grew up in the 1990s is familiar with The Unabomber. The terrorist killed a handful of people, but the fact that his bombs were sent through the mail and could show up anywhere kept the United States on edge for years. Since being captured, the mind of Ted Kaczynski has been fodder for documentaries and several television films and series. All of them have focused on the madness of Kaczynski or the massive manhunt by the FBI that led to his dramatic capture, but few have delved into the man behind it all. Filmmaker Tony Stone’s new movie, Ted K, does just that in a beautifully shot and sometimes surreal exploration of Ted Kaczynski.

Filmed on location in Lincoln, Montana where Kaczynski lived during his reign of terror, Tony Stone makes exquisite use of the natural landscapes that inspired the manifesto of The Unabomber. From the opening title sequence showing a family on snowmobiles disrupting the natural order while Kaczynski looks on, Ted K presents itself as a portrait of a broken mind. Sharlto Copley provides voice-over narration throughout the film quoting Kaczynski’s writing verbatim which is a chilling reminder of the hundreds of thousands of pages he wrote while isolated in the wilderness. Copley, who is in every scene of Ted K and often by himself, evokes the mannerisms, voice, and even the posture of Kaczynski. Most other actors have not gone to such a length but Copley fully inhabits this character to a level reminiscent of Joaquin Phoenix in Joker . Sharlto Copley evokes many elements of Asperger’s syndrome or other autistic tendencies but never to the point of caricature.

Ted K features a heavily naturalistic look that makes great use of natural lighting and an almost documentary feel to it. And while this is first and foremost a drama, it lyrically weaves in dreamlike elements including a stunning sequence involving Ted’s cabin and a truck. Because Tony Stone shifts between reality and these strange visions, it replicates what it must have been like inside of Kaczynski’s mind. The entirety of this film is haunting and unsettling, especially when it depicts the victims of the Unabomber’s deliveries. These are never shown for gratuitous violence but instead accent Ted’s skewed look at the world. In several scenes, we see Ted calling his brother and mother and sharing with them calmly while later calls are abrupt and full of rage. The constant mood shifts further illustrate Kaczynski’s mental instability.

Keep in mind that this film is by no means a biopic or a documentary but instead focuses on Kaczynski’s years in self-imposed isolation. Sharlto Copley is a very talented actor and really treads the line between making Ted a sympathetic character and a monster. We see him brimming with confidence in one scene and shy in the next. It is very unsettling not knowing how he will react and as we have become trained by films like Joker, Taxi Driver, and more, Ted K often seems like he could murder someone before shrinking back to his cabin. Ted is clearly a very unhappy human being and this film never tries to convince us otherwise. For two hours, we are able to get a glimpse of who this man was based entirely on his own words and thoughts. It is disturbing but also very engrossing.

With music videos, short films, and documentaries to his credit, Tony Stone’s feature film directorial debut is indicative of a very intriguing future from the filmmaker. Coupled with the cinematography by Nathan Corbin, Stone finds a solid partnership with Sharlto Copley (who also serves as a producer). Together, they have taken a unique approach to adapting the writing of a living person and turning it into something beautiful. It also should be noted that the score by British musician Blanck Mass is already securing a spot in my best of 2022 list. The opening scene of Ted K will immediately put you on edge with a pulsing and grand theme that gave me chills. Even if you are not as impressed by this film as I am, the music will blow you away.

Ted K is a challenging movie that is not quite what I expected and I am very happy to say that. Just when you begin to find your rhythm with the story, it changes directions on you. Spanning decades in just two hours is tough but this movie manages to still feel like it has a lot more to say. The attention to detail is also very impressive. Google any photographs from Kaczynski’s capture by the FBI and compare them to what takes place in this film and it matches down to the rips in Ted’s pants. This is a movie that is as haunting as it is beautiful and altered my perception of who Ted Kaczynski is. The scariest takeaway from this film is not that Ted is a monster but instead that he is just a man and that makes what he did all the more horrifying.

About the Author

Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.

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Home » ‘Ted K’ review: Sharlto Copley enters the mind of the Unabomber to mixed results

‘Ted K’ review: Sharlto Copley enters the mind of the Unabomber to mixed results

In Ted K , Sharlto Copley and Tony Stone don’t quite justify yet another film tackling the complex and horrifying life of the Unabomber.

Despite the roughly 25,000 pages of diary entries and The Washington Post manifesto “Industrial Society and the Future,” Ted Kaczynski (A.K.A the Unabomber) remains a largely indecipherable figure. Two recent Netflix shows—the drama series Manhunt: Unabomber and docuseries Unabomber: In His Own Words —have attempted to shed light on the domestic terrorist’s life.

What caused Kaczynski, a former mathematics professor, to kill 3 people, injure 23 more, and become the subject of the largest manhunt in FBI history? Ted K , a new, unsettling historical crime drama directed and co-written by Tony Stone ( Peter and the Farm ), avoids answering this question and instead observes the societal frustrations that inspired the Unabomber’s murderous acts.

From 1978 to 1995, Kaczynski targeted individuals he deemed contributors to the destruction of humanity and the environment, including anyone from a computer store owner to the president of United Airlines. The film does not glorify his behavior, but it does allow some room for empathy, to the extent one can have for such a horrible person, through its depiction of his life of isolation and loneliness. Sharlto Copley delivers a restrained performance that presents Kaczynski as a man who is quick to anger and feels alienated from the rest of the world. He is enraged by a society that ignores his deepest fears and retreats into a 10- by 12-foot cabin in the woods of Lincoln, Montana.

We first see Ted in the distance watching through the trees with contempt as a family noisily drives their snowmobiles, disrupting the peace in his beloved woods. We then witness his rage when he breaks into the family’s home and destroys their vehicles, foreshadowing what would later become his bombing “missions.” The film places the audience straight into Kaczynski’s agitated state of mind, with Copley providing voiceover as industrial explosions, deforestation, and pollution threaten his home.

The audience understands his bombings as acts of revenge against this industrial advancement and his admission that societal change to a more primitive lifestyle is improbable. The sound design, along with the anxiety-inducing electronic score by Blanck Mass, deserve credit here as the cacophony of Kaczynski’s surroundings drives him mad and makes his attempts to escape modern society futile. In addition, the cinematography by Nathan Corbin expresses Kaczynski’s frustrations by contrasting the serene Montana landscape with the violent destruction of industrial enterprise.

Stone pushes past many conventional biopic tropes in favor of forming a series of vignettes from the last years of Kaczynski’s life before his arrest. The vignettes range from depicting the preparation and execution of the bombings to Kaczynski’s daily routine living in his cabin. Spliced in between are his regular interactions with the outside world, taking on various jobs and conversing with his mother and brother, whom he eventually cuts off contact with. In these moments, we see Kaczynski’s misanthropy and dysfunctional social habits take real shape. And through his toxic interactions with women, Kaczynski’s misogyny and sexual frustration come to the surface. “I don’t take instruction on technical matters from women,” he says before getting fired from a logging job.

These moments are also where the film unfortunately missteps. Stone’s loose narrative framework and focus on stylistic flourishes, including bizarre dream sequences and abrupt jump cuts, obfuscate the writing of Kaczynski’s character. In this way, Ted K acts more as a ponderous mood piece inundated in the slow burn of Kaczynski’s descent, rather than a film with evocative visuals that complement Copley’s lead performance.

This willingness for experimentation is respectable, but too often it leads to a repetitive narrative that lacks any forward momentum toward Kaczynski’s eventual downfall. The fantasy sequences with Becky, a woman from Kaczynski’s dreams, feel tacked on while the one-sided phone conversations with Kaczynski’s brother David are underdeveloped. This lack of cohesion results in a tedious two-hour affair with an ending that doesn’t give us much to contemplate afterward.

As the centerpiece of Ted K , Sharlto Copley’s performance shines through the muck. Projects such as District 9 and Hardcore Henry have long proven that Copley embraces risks as a transformative actor. Here, he balances Kaczynski’s rage over civilization with the peace he finds within nature. But his performance is held back by an overall mixed film. The audience is left with little to work with on what drives Kaczynski, preventing him from being a completely engaging presence. Perhaps that’s what Stone is aiming for. An enigmatic man struggling to find belonging in a world unsympathetic to his problems.

Ted K will be available in theaters and on digital on February 18. Watch the trailer here .

Alex Nguyen

Alex Nguyen is an aspiring entertainment writer as well as a film and music enthusiast based in Seattle, WA. He enjoys going to indie concerts and dissecting all kinds of films.

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The Unabomber has died. Watch these 3 documentaries and movies about his life

The New York Times is reporting that the infamous Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, died in prison today, possibly by suicide, at the age of 81. Kaczynski was imprisoned for almost three decades after he embarked on a deadly terror campaign from 1979 to 1996 to further his anti-technology and anti-industrialization agenda. There was so little information about Kaczynski’s identity that the FBI put the case under the heading “University and Airline Bomber,” which in turn led to the Unabomber moniker being coined the media.

Unabomber: In His Own Words (2020)

Ted k (2021), manhunt: unabomber (2017).

Kaczynski’s undoing was his desire to get his manifesto in front of people. After demanding that newspapers publish his manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future , Kaczynski’s brother, David Kaczynski, recognized his writing style and turned in his brother to the FBI. Kaczynski maintained that he was not insane, and he was sentenced to eight consecutive life sentences in 1998.

Hollywood naturally took an interest in Kaczynski’s story and adapted it into films and TV shows while also lifting elements of Kaczynski’s life for loosely inspired scripts. Kaczynski’s life has also been examined in multiple documentaries . No single project can fully shed light on why Kaczynski felt the need to kill in order to achieve his goals, but the following projects do allow us to understand more about what drove him to become the Unabomber.

Genre: Documentary Stars: Ted Kaczynski

Unabomber: In His Own Words is a true crime documentary on Netflix that lives up to the promise of the title. Kaczynski’s diary does offer greater insight into his state of mind, as the episodes explore his past as a gifted academic and his transformation into a violent terrorist. For all of his ravings, it’s easy to forget that Kaczynski was once considered brilliant, and this series also explores how he eluded capture for so long, as well as his desire to shape his own narrative even while behind bars.

Genre: Drama Stars: Sharlto Copley, Drew Powell, Travis W. Bruyer, Wayne Pyle, Tahmus Rounds

Ted K features Sharlto Copley in the title role of Ted Kaczynski, and the movie largely keeps its focus on him. The story begins in the early 1970s as Kaczynski tries to retreat from the modern world, only to find it encroaching upon his life even while he lives in the wilderness. Out of a desire for revenge, Kaczynski begins a campaign of terror that sets off the longest manhunt in the history of the FBI.

Genre: Drama Stars: Sam Worthington, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Bobb, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Lynn Collins

Manhunt: Unabomber takes place in two different time periods, 1995 and 1997. In ’95, FBI agent Jim Fitzgerald ( Avatar: The Way of Water ‘s Sam Worthington) and his team pore over the Unabomber’s manifesto in hopes of uncovering clues to his identity. Two years later, Fitzgerald is out of the FBI and living in seclusion before he is drawn back into service to interrogate the captive Ted Kaczynski ( WandaVision ‘s Paul Bettany) and convince him to plead guilty ahead of his trial. However, Kaczynski has his own plans, and he actually seems to believe that he could walk free.

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Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a masterful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's iconic novel from 1955. The film stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, the charming criminal who cons his way into a life of wealth, luxury, and high social status. His means of acquiring these items, however, are a result of violent and murderous actions. While Damon is perfect as Tom, Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) provides a compelling interpretation of the notorious character in the new TV series, Ripley.

The eight-episode Netflix show has received positive reviews, with Digital Trends' A.A. Dowd calling Ripley a "terrifically tense thriller." After consuming Ripley, check out these three movies and TV shows with similar vibes to Ripley. Our selections include a Stephen King adaptation, a disturbing docuseries, and a brilliant satire. Misery (1990)

There are plenty of great Netflix shows about basically whatever it might be that you want to watch. Among the many things that Netflix is great at is true crime docuseries, which it has released steadily since its earliest days as a streamer.

One of those recent documentaries is The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping, which tells the story of one woman who decides to expose the seedy underbelly behind the "troubled teen" industry. The documentary is riveting from beginning to end, but if you've already finished it, we've found three other docuseries that might be great follow-ups. Not all of these docs are the easiest to watch, but if you want something thrilling, these will fit the bill. Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence (2023) Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence | February 9 | Hulu

It’s in part thanks to Netflix that we have seen such a significant boom in the number of British shows that Americans are obsessed with. And Britain is just one country that Netflix and other streaming services have started to regularly export TV from. If you’re someone who loves a great British crime drama, though, Netflix still has one of the deepest benches of shows of that genre.

From shows that Netflix itself financed to others that it simply exported from the U.K., this list includes three great British crime dramas that ar worth checking out, especially if you’re just getting your feet wet. Bodyguard (2018) Bodyguard | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix Although it only ran for a single season, Bodyguard took the entire internet by storm when it first premiered -- and with good reason. The show follows a war veteran who is assigned to a security detail for the home secretary, who is described by some who know her as a sociopath. As he deals with literal and psychological scars from his time serving in the war, this soldier also has to deal with his prickly new boss and the very real threats to her life. Thanks to a riveting central performance from Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden, as well as some incredibly precise plotting, Bodyguard manages to be thrilling whether you know anything about the intricacies of British politics or not.

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Ted K: A Competent Movie which focuses on all the wrong things

I watched Ted K recently and I found it to be quite strange, in terms of the directing, set design, acting was all done with great competency but all in service to a boring story.

This is strange considering that Ted Kaczynski has a life story that could be an excellent story if it focused on the right parts. But this movie focuses on all the most boring parts of his life for far too long, while we only see glimpses into the aftermath of a far more interesting story. The main problem with the whole film seems far more concerned with showing Kaczynski's state when he became the Unabomber, rather than showing how he got to that state. The film can be best described as an unfocused montage of Kaczynski yelling at technology, doing a useless monologue, begging his mom or brother for money, or having hallucinations with his waifu.

Meanwhile, we see nothing of Kaczynski's fall from grace from the youngest Havard professor, or the destruction of his relationship with his brother. It is truly beyond me how all the pieces seem to align with this movie, with an actor who managed to copy the exact behaviorism of Kaczynski, a director who seemed at least competent in his job, and some excellent set design got all thrown to the wayside because they decided to focus on the most boring part of Kaczynski's life.

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The 14 best true crime shows on Amazon Prime in August 2024

The streamer carries original series like "Shiny Happy People" along with classic programs like "Forensic Files."

The true crime genre is undeniably a favorite in America. From murderers and financial con artists to the authorities and whistleblowers who bring them to justice, the allure of these subjects is strong. For those interested in learning more about these cases, there’s no shortage of documentaries, docudramas, podcasts, and tell-all books to dive into. So, to say the market is saturated would be an understatement.

Since Amazon Prime doesn’t offer a curated genre for easy browsing, we at Entertainment Weekly did some digging to save you the trouble. Here are the 14 best true crime shows on Amazon Prime Video right now.

On Death Row (2012)

Each episode of this series profiles a specific death row inmate in Texas, featuring criminals like two members of the Texas Seven, a man who hired two contract killers to murder his wife, and a woman who stole an infant after murdering the mother, among other maximum security prisoners sentenced to die in Texas.

Director Werner Herzog developed the series because he disagreed with capital punishment. On Death Row , which sees Herzog speak with inmates himself, also includes interviews with others involved in their cases and personal lives, such as lawyers and family members. —S.B.

Where to watch On Death Row : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: The best documentaries on Amazon Prime Video

Lorena (2021)

Executive produced by Jordan Peele , this limited docuseries explores the 1993 case of Lorena Bobbitt and her husband, John , which became a news sensation despite the lack of social media and instant reporting. Lorena cut off her husband’s penis with a kitchen knife the night of the incident, and she became the laughingstock of the country as her version of events battled against his. (At the time, the inflammatory tabloid inclusions and constant jokes suffocated any opportunity for an equally strong open discussion about domestic violence and the silencing of victims.)

This four-part investigation, featuring interviews with both Lorena and John, reviews Bobbitt’s trial, as well as everything that led to it and the aftermath they each faced. —S.B.

Where to watch Lorena : Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B ( read the review )

Related content: First Lorena Bobbitt trailer re-examines infamous crime from her perspective

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (2023)

The Duggars once charmed TV audiences with their exceptionally large family — parents Michelle and Jim Bob, along with their nine daughters and 10 sons — on TLC 's 19 Kids and Counting . However, their Potemkin village crumbled when the show was canceled following reports that the oldest son, Josh , had molested five underage girls.

This four-part docuseries delves further into Josh's history of sexual abuse and child pornography possession, as well as the family's connection to the Institute in Basic Life Principles (a cult-like fundamentalist group led by Bill Gothard). With interviews from Duggars like Jill Dillard and Amy King, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets presents a thorough investigation into pure sin, prioritizing the voices of survivors over sensationalism. —J.M.

Where to watch Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar slam ‘derogatory’ and ‘sensationalized’ new docuseries about family scandals

Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography (2017)

On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted by a self-proclaimed religious prophet, who with the help of his wife held her in a wooded area where she endured repeated sexual abuse. Fifteen years later, Smart — now a child safety activist and ABC News commentator — tells her story in her own words via this three-part A&E docuseries.

Featuring interviews from Smart, her family, eyewitnesses, and law enforcement, Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography doesn't just recount the violent crimes of her captors but unveils Smart's road to recovery and how she's used her trauma to help others. — James Mercadante

Where to watch Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: Elizabeth Smart shares the emotional reason she agreed to do The Masked Dancer

The Unsolved Mystery of Beverly Lynn Smith (2022)

It's been 50 years since 22-year-old Beverly Lynn Smith was found shot dead in her Oshawa, Ontario, home — and her case remains cold. Though her next-door neighbor, Alan Smith, was the No. 1 suspect and coerced into confessing by undercover authorities, the true killer seems to have gotten away scot-free.

Incorporating interviews with key figures like Beverly's twin sister and artful shots of small-town Oshawa, The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith is a twisty four-part docuseries that examines a muffed investigation and the unethical tactics used to expedite the case. — J.M.

Where to watch The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith : Amazon Prime Video

Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer (2020)

One of the most notorious serial killers, Ted Bundy is often romanticized for using his devilish good looks and charm to lure dozens of women to their deaths. Yet, how many people know the names of his victims or about his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall? Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer aims to fill that gap by decentering Bundy from the narrative and focusing on Kendall, her daughter Molly, colleagues, survivors, and the families of his victims.

This five-part docuseries — told by women and directed by a woman — approaches this case through a critical feminist lens, exploring the social context during Bundy's reign of violence and the long-lasting impact on those he took away from. —J.M.

Where to watch Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: Zac Efron slips into Ted Bundy's skin for Extremely Wicked, Shocking Evil and Vile : EW review

Forensic Files (1996–2011)

Forensic Files is a must-watch for true crime buffs who don't feel like sitting through hours of material just to learn about a single case. Each episode unravels like a 22-minute whodunnit — with forensic scientists scouring through evidence and performing lab tests to get their answers. (Some episodes, however, explore accidents instead of crimes.)

One of the show's perks is its crisp storytelling, but its atmospheric visual style and Peter Thomas' narrations make it nearly impossible to resist pressing play on the next episode. If you finish this series, Forensic Files II ( available to watch on Max ) has been airing more investigations since 2020. — J.M.

Where to watch Forensic Files : Amazon Prime Video

The Last Narc (2020)

This docuseries explores the death of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was kidnapped and eventually killed by some of the most notorious drug lords in Mexico, allegedly with the help of the CIA. Decades later, former cartel members, along with other DEA agents and Camarena’s family, have come forward to share insider details about the events leading up to his death.

The Last Narc chronicles how the agent infiltrated the cartel; how his investigation cost them billions of dollars; and how he racked up enemies throughout his time there — including members of American intelligence — in his search for the truth. — S.B.

Where to watch The Last Narc : Amazon Prime Video

Deadly Dates (2018)

In a Catfish -laden age, online dating is a frightening endeavor. How do you really know the person you’re chatting with is who they say they are? If they’re lying, are they simply afraid to show you what they look like, or are their intentions far more nefarious than that?

Many apps don’t — or haven’t in the past — vet users , allowing known sexual predators to troll for potential prey. With the help of the victims’ families and police involved in the investigations, Deadly Dates explores some cases where online dating led to disaster. — S.B.

Where to watch Deadly Dates : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: The best unscripted true crime series

Detectives: My Killer Case (2018)

This miniseries follows a different detective in each episode, where they take viewers back through the investigation that they say defined their careers. The crimes detailed are among the most shocking to emerge from the U.K., with the investigators in charge guiding you through every lead and dead end — from the very first day to the resolution.

It’s a compelling look at the investigative process, with step-by-step breakdowns, peeks into police archives, video surveillance footage, and specific details straight from the ones solving these horrifying crimes. — S.B.

Where to watch Detectives: My Killer Case : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: The best true crime shows on Peacock

Becoming Evil: Serial Killers (2019)

This seven-part docuseries profiles a number of the most prolific and notorious serial killers in history. Featuring expert interviews and detailed explorations of murderers like Aileen Wuornos , Jeffrey Dahmer , Andrew Cunanan , Ted Bundy , and the Golden State Killer , Becoming Evil: Serial Killers investigates the complexities of these criminals.

With episodes that focus on the psyche of its subjects, the impact of the media, female and international serial killers, and more, Becoming Evil offers a deep dive into a topic that has fascinated modern society with its morbid allure. — Sammi Burke

Where to watch Becoming Evil: Serial Killers : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: The best serial killer shows streaming on Netflix right now

The Devil You Know (2019)

The Devil You Know documents cases where criminals appeared to be loving, law-abiding individuals, hiding their worst intentions from the people they were closest to. Through interviews with family members and friends who were betrayed by their loved ones, the series offers insider accounts of how the shocking events unfolded.

Covering subjects like Timothy Boczkowski and Stacey Castor — both of whom reportedly murdered their spouses — these eight episodes from Vice Studios explore how sometimes dangerous people are the ones closest to us. — S.B.

Where to watch The Devil You Know : Amazon Prime Video

Related content: The best serial killer documentaries and docuseries

The FBI Files (1998–2009)

One of the longer-running true crime series, The FBI Files was produced with the cooperation of the FBI — including host James Kallstrom, a former head of the FBI's Manhattan office — documenting instances where they assisted local police departments.

With cases like the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the Unabomber, the kidnapping/murder of Polly Klaas, and countless others, The FBI Files allows viewers to step into the investigative process, including dramatized reenactments and interviews with the agents and forensic scientists involved. —S.B.

Where to watch The FBI Files : Amazon Prime Video

Serial Swindlers (2011–2012)

Like an internet catfish on steroids, Serial Swindlers details some of the biggest criminal liars from around the world, sharing Hollywood-worthy tales of lawbreaking masterminds.

From a Singaporean fraudster who stole giant sums from foreign banks to a man who scammed senior politicians and businesspeople from New Zealand with fake deals, these subjects left a trail of devastation in their wake. —S.B.

Where to watch Serial Swindlers : Amazon Prime Video

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Ted K Review: A Disturbing Portrayal of the Infamous Unabomber
Ted K Review: Sharlto Copley's Unabomber Is Effective Oscar Throwback
Ted K Trailer Introduces Sharlto Copley as the Unabomber
Trailer for Unabomber's Movie 'Ted K' Reminds Us of Sharlto Copley's Talent
Ted K The Unabomber (2021, U.S.A.)
Ted K

COMMENTS

Ted K movie review & film summary (2022)
Powered by JustWatch. "Ted K" trumpets its authentic bona fides early, informing us in an opening crawl that it was shot on the actual Montana land where Ted Kaczynski's 10-by-12-foot cabin once stood, where he lived his spartan life and crafted the manifesto that would earn him the moniker The Unabomber. We also learn that director Tony ...
'Ted K' Review: An Eerie Descent
TED K - Official Trailer - In Theaters and on Digital February 18. Watch on. The film is a tad reductive, leaning too heavily on currently fashionable explanations for why lonely white men resort ...
Ted K
Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/05/24 Full Review Rijo T Jus some nature scenes and Ted's mind voices nothing to grab on ,i jus skipped through most of the movie. It should have been ...
'Ted K' Review: Sharlto Copley Goes Deep in an Intense Unabomber Bio
'Ted K' Review: Sharlto Copley Is the Unabomber in a Slow-Burning True-Crime Study Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (online), London, March 2, 2021. Running time: 121 MIN.
Ted K Review: Sharlto Copley's Unabomber Is Effective Oscar Throwback
The morals of the Unabomber are published and he is in prison to this day, but the magic of Ted K is Sharlto Copley's portrayal of Ted Kaczynski filling in all the gaps. It's not just about Kaczynski's lifestyle, but the mindset that led him down such a destructive path. At two hours long, Ted K drags at points but is never held down for long.
Ted K (2021)
Ted K: Directed by Tony Stone. With Sharlto Copley, Drew Powell, Christian Calloway, Tahmus Rounds. An exploration of Ted Kaczynski's life in Lincoln, Montana in the years leading up to his arrest as The Unabomber.
'Ted K' Review: Sharlto Copley Plays Unabomber Ted Kacyzynski
Many movies endeavor to get inside the mind of a maniac, but "Ted K" goes straight to the source. Director Tony Stone's chilling, immersive, and sometimes aimless portrait of Unabomber Ted ...
'Ted K' Review
By David Rooney. March 1, 2021 11:30am. Sharlto Copley in 'Ted K' Courtesy of Ted K. The underseen but arresting 2016 documentary feature Peter and the Farm is a warts-and-all portrait of a flinty ...
Ted K Film Review: Impressionistic Unabomber Drama Reveals the Man
February 16, 2022 @ 12:37 PM. A risky experiment with a striking payoff, "Ted K" is an impressionistic attempt to personalize the most unrelatable experience imaginable: life as a killer ...
Ted K review: visits the Unabomber's neck of the woods
Ted K visits the Unabomber's neck of the woods. Sharlto Copley embodies Ted Kaczynski in Tony Stone's tragicomic dramatisation of the deluded ramblings of a domestic terrorist. Reviewed at the 2021 Berlinale. Before the word 'incel' was coined and the danger of domestic terrorism fully realised, Ted Kaczynski was sitting in his cabin in ...
Ted K
From the mind of director Tony Stone comes TED K — a bracing, cinematic journey into the tortured mind of The Unabomber. Deep in the American Rocky Mountains lived a man who sought refuge from modern society. His dark writings forewarned of a society ruled by technology. As the outside world encroached on his mountain sanctuary, he slowly became radicalized with rage. What began with small ...
'Ted K' Review: A Fly-on-the-Wall Look at the Unabomber
Noise. That's what gives the first impression in Tony Stone's Ted K.Featuring a score by industrial musician Blanck Mass, the film blends groaning synth tones with the overwhelming sounds of jets flying overhead and logging equipment sawing down trees in the remote Montana location where Stone's follow-up to Peter and the Farm is set.. The film's heightened soundscape is representative ...
Ted K Review: A Disturbing Portrayal of the Infamous Unabomber
Ted K is an intimate portrayal of a dangerous recluse who would eventually become the FBI's longest terrorist investigation. Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the infamous Unabomber, maimed ...
Ted K
Ted K is a 2021 American historical crime drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Tony Stone.Starring Sharlto Copley as Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, the film follows the mathematics prodigy turned domestic terrorist through the events leading to his arrest.. Ted K premiered at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival on March 1, 2021 and was released in the ...
'Ted K' Film Review: Impressionistic Unabomber Drama ...
The Unabomber is among the most notable examples, with 26 victims spanning nearly two decades. His incomprehensible violence spurred the largest manhunt in FBI history, and as it went on, we all ...
Ted K Movie Review
Our review: Parents say Not yet rated Rate movie. Kids say ( 1 ): This deep dive into the mind of a notorious terrorist is handled well, forgoing all the tired, traditional biopic notes and staying focused on the subject and capturing his emotions. Directed by Tony Stone, Ted K doesn't glorify Kaczynski, but nor does it tame him.
'Ted K' takes a deep dive into world of notorious Unabomber
MOVIE REVIEW "TED K" Rated R. On VOD. Grade: A-Sharlto Copley delivers an award-worthy performance in "Ted K," a film biography of the notorious Ted Kaczynski aka the Unabomber. The film ...
'Ted K' Review: Cold Soul of a Killer
Listen. (5 min) Watch a trailer for 'Ted K'. Sight unseen, "Ted K" might seem like a movie to skip. It's another account of Ted Kaczynski, the infamous hermit, known as the Unabomber ...
Ted K Review
Plot: From the brilliant mind of acclaimed director Tony Stone comes TED K- a bracing, cinematic journey into the tortured mind of The Unabomber.Deep in the American Rocky Mountains lived a man ...
'Ted K' review: Sharlto Copley enters the mind of the Unabomber to
In Ted K, Sharlto Copley and Tony Stone don't quite justify yet another film tackling the complex and horrifying life of the Unabomber. Despite the roughly 25,000 pages of diary entries and The ...
The Unabomber has died. Watch these 3 documentaries and movies about
By Blair Marnell Updated June 11, 2023. The New York Times is reporting that the infamous Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, died in prison today, possibly by suicide, at the age of 81. Kaczynski was ...
Cook review: 'Ted K' shows downward spiral of Unabomber
Then, as the titular recluse becomes more unstable, we see how he becomes radicalized, and eventually becomes the man most people know as the Unabomber, who was arrested in 1996. Ted K (IMDb)
Ted K: A Competent Movie which focuses on all the wrong things
The film can be best described as an unfocused montage of Kaczynski yelling at technology, doing a useless monologue, begging his mom or brother for money, or having hallucinations with his waifu. Meanwhile, we see nothing of Kaczynski's fall from grace from the youngest Havard professor, or the destruction of his relationship with his brother ...
The 14 best true crime shows on Amazon Prime in August 2024
With cases like the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the Unabomber, the kidnapping/murder of Polly Klaas, and countless others, The FBI Files allows viewers to step into the investigative ...

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